A New Light
by Kohaku Ishtar
Summary: What happens when you take a sixteen year old Pharaoh, who’s heart has been hardened by events in his past and tie a girl to his bed? A whole lot more then what could be expected. Lemon in later chapters
1. Pains of the Past

This is my first fic, so don't be too harsh…I think it's ok. And I don't own Yu Gi Oh. (Waah…) Oh and Tamika; I hope you're happy!

                                          Pains of the Past

   Egypt was hell. That's pretty much all that could describe the horror of what was happening. There was nothing but revolt upon revolt against the Government and even the Pharaoh of Egypt. For four long suffering years, the people of Egypt were neglected. For a while things were good, for the first six years of Akhenaten's reign Egypt was prosperous and the people were well fed, but about six years after he became Pharaoh he moved himself and his family from the capitol of Thebes to some remote place in the desert. 

   He then ordered that all the temples to the Gods be destroyed, and in their place new temples were to be erected, temples to a new God, the Aten. Oh, how the people of Egypt resented this, but little did they know that they had no choice in the matter. After he brutally tortured and murdered all the high priests of Amun, Akhenaten told the people that if they refused to worship the Aten they would suffer the same fate.

    For most, this was enough convincing to make them worship the Aten. There were however, a few brave souls in Egypt, who didn't loose faith in the Gods, and they began to revolt, but little good it did them. The Pharaoh; who by now was the most hated and feared man in all of Egypt; tracked each and every one of them down, killed them and their families, and in a few cases even burned their villages down. He then proceeded to cut off all connection with his people, as he, his family, and a select few of his closest friends continued to live in luxury in a remote area of Egypt, of which no one knew.

    Meanwhile the people were dying of starvation and disease, for years they had no one to turn to, no where to hide from the suffering that their Pharaoh brought down upon them. They couldn't pray to the Gods for help, or they would risk the chance of being slaughtered like so many before them. Then again maybe death wasn't so bad, many of them were already dead, maybe not physically, but mentally their souls were just as dead as those who burned up in the fires. 

   But just when it seemed that all hope was lost; word started to spread around Egypt that the Pharaoh had suddenly taken ill, with a fatal disease, strangely enough it was the same plague that was killing so many of his people. It was like the Gods themselves, angered by what Akhenaten had done to the people came down from the heavens and struck him with the disease. Sure enough three months after the word was spread the Pharaoh died. Even the mighty Pharaoh couldn't escape the wrath of the Gods. The people rejoiced, and openly thanked the Gods for the blessings that they bestowed upon Egypt. They waited four long years and now it was time for a change.  

* * *

   Yami sat mightily upon his golden throne as he listened to his council discussing the plans on rebuilding all the temples that were torn down by his father Akhenaten. He had only been Pharaoh for three weeks but his first action was to rid Egypt of everything that even remotely reminded him of his father, starting with the religion. 

   One would think that Yami would feel even the slightest bit of sorrow after his father's sudden passing, but on the contrary he couldn't be happier. Yami hated that man with a furious passion so deep that it burned through his soul. Every inch of him wanted to see nothing more then every memory of his father erased from history. He dared not show any emotion though, weather it be grief or glee because to show emotion would be beneath him. Even though Yami didn't have the time to complete his training as Pharaoh, that was something that he had grown up knowing.

     "Yami, may I suggest that we start by tearing down all the temples to the Aten, then we can use the stones from those buildings to rebuild all the temples that Akhenaten tore down." Seth stated as he stood up from the table and walked up to Yami and sat is his chair that was situated right beside Yami's. Seth was the second most powerful man in Egypt; he was the Pharaohs vizier. Only, in this situation he held a little more power then other viziers due to the fact that Yami was only sixteen and could be manipulated into doing whatever Seth wanted… most of the time.

  " No." Yami said with a firmness that made some of the council members jump slightly.

  " No?" Seth repeated sounding somewhat agitated. His strong features looked even fiercer when he was irritated. 

  " Are you sure that all the priests will want to return to their temples once we rebuild them? I don't think that there are too many left in Egypt, those who weren't killed fled this land am I correct?" Yami said as he turned to Seth who had an unmistakable grin on his face.

   "What are you smiling about?" Yami snapped, sounding annoyed. Seth's grin lessened slightly at the harsh tones of Yami's voice, but he quickly pulled his lips apart again to show everyone in the council that Yami didn't scare him…much. 

  " My Pharaoh, we in the council have already prepared for this and we have a fresh batch of priests that were trained by none other then myself, and a few other council members." Seth said as he stood up from his chair and walked over to the throne room doors. He smiled, bringing a hand up to the enormous handle. He opened them to reveal at least fifty young men dressed in the finest white linen and adorned with the sacred medallions that only the priests of Amun wore. 

   Yami's crimson eyes went wide with admiration as he scanned over the men.

  " Nice job Seth." He said as he smiled in Seth's direction.

    Becoming increasingly pleased with himself, Seth turned back to Yami with a smirk on his face.

 " Great one there is one special man among this number that I would like you to meet. Seto, please come forward." With that a tall young man, no older then seventeen stepped forward. He was well built, slender yet toned. His skin was lightly bronzed from the heat of the Egyptian sun. His eyes were ice blue. Over all he was quite an attractive being to look at. Yami scanned him up and down as Seto walked forward.

  " I am honored to serve you my Pharaoh." Seto said as he came before Yami and knelt to the ground.

  " Seth, may I ask you who this is?" Yami asked, becoming slightly more interested.

  "Yami this is our new high priest of Amun, of all the men we have trained this young man has shown the most promise. We have not found him an apprentice yet, but when we do you will be the first to know." Seth crossed his arms. His work for the day was done. He had once again woven his way around the young Pharaoh so that he could get what he desired.

  " Well done Seth, but don't you think he is a little young to be running the temple of our most important God?" Yami said with an amused look on his face.

  " With all due respect Great one, you yourself are only sixteen and you are running Egypt, I think Seto can handle the temple to Amun."

  " Funny Seth. But I'm not too young to sentence you to death." He snapped.

  " Pharaoh," said a deep voice that almost made Yami jump out of his skin. He turned and looked back at Seto.

  " I can assure you that I am well up to the challenge of being high priest, and I don't intend on backing out now. I am the most capable man for this job in all of Egypt." He said that with the most serious face that Yami had ever seen.

  " Ok, ok. Once again Seth you are one step ahead of me." Yami stood up from his throne, " Send a notice to all the people of Egypt, recruit them to work on rebuilding all the temples that my father tore down… starting with the Great Temple of Amun right here in Thebes. I want these fine young men to be in their new temple as soon as possible!" He walked over to the balcony that over looked the magnificent city of Thebes.

  " Seth, Seto come here." He called to them as he looked out into the city that was bustling with activity. They walked over to him and looked out upon the city as well. " I want the temple to go right there." He said, and he pointed to an abandoned Aten temple that sat upon an enormous hill.

  " As you wish, my Pharaoh." Seth replied. As both men began to walk away Yami called Seto back.

" Seto wait," Yami said quietly.

  " Yes my Pharaoh?" He replied with uncertainty.

  " You don't have to act so…"

  " So?" Seto questioned. 

  " So formal around me, I may be Pharaoh of Egypt, but you are the high priest of Amun."

  " And?"

  " And that means that you are like my second in command, like my brother. We can run Egypt together." Yami said with a smile.

  Seto stared into Yami's crimson orbs; he suddenly felt a chill up his spine. As nice as Yami was; those eyes; Seto felt like Yami could see right through him. It scared him.

  " Ok Pharaoh." 

  " Oh and Seto. One more thing."

  " Yes?"

  " Don't call me Pharaoh."

  " Ok Great one." Seto said as he smirked.

  " Yami." The Pharaoh said nearly cracking up himself.

  " Ok son of Osiris." 

  "Shut up." Yami said as he punched Seto in the arm.

* * *

Slowly Yami made his way down the long corridors to his chambers. It had been a long three weeks for him as Pharaoh. With all he had to do, sleep was on the bottom of his list and fatigue was starting to set in.  Sometimes he wondered if he'd even be able to take on such a heavy load. It had all happened so quickly. 

   The plague, the suffering, then the sudden, however expected death of his father. He hadn't even come half way through all of the training he needed to become Pharaoh. And unlike most of the other Pharaohs who learned a lot by watching their dads at work…well Yami's father wasn't quite the best example, especially in the last four years of his reign. 

   As he was thinking to himself he barely realized that he was standing right outside his chambers so with his eyes half shut he opened the doors, but they quickly snapped open when he saw what was on his bed. Three beautiful girls were sitting on his bed with there heads bowed submissively. He didn't quite know what to make of this, who were they? How did they get into his room? And whose dumb idea was this? Each one of them was dressed alike with pink silk harem pants. They were adorned with jewels and gold. They looked more like gifts then anything.

  " Wh…Who are you?" He asked one of them as he stumbled closer to his bed. But as he came closer he noticed that they were bound together tied to the foot of his bed.

  " We are yours my Pharaoh." Said one of the girls; her voice was shaky, as if she was scared that he would hurt her for speaking up. Yami had no idea what to do; he wasn't exactly in the best mood. It angered him that someone would do this to innocent girls. As he looked at the one girl, he saw a tear coming down her pale cheek.

  " Shhh don't cry, everything's ok." Yami said calmly as he sat next to her and gently lifted her head up. He looked into her beautiful jade eyes; not exactly sure what to say to comfort her; and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

  " Who did this to you?" Yami asked softly. He began to untie the ropes that bound them. He saw that their wrists were rubbed raw, no doubt from trying to escape.

  " Pri…Priest Seto, he wanted to give us to you as a gift."

Said the one who was crying. As he looked up at the girl with the jade eyes, he noticed a red mark on her face.

   "Who hit you?" He asked with concern…something that shocked the girl, as well as himself.

   "I…I don't know. It was one of your guards I think. He-he did it because I told him to leave my friends alone."

"This wont happen again. You three are free to leave." He told them as he finished untying the last girl.

  " Pharaoh, forgive me, but we have nowhere to go, all of our parents were killed by the plague that swept through Egypt over three months ago." Said one girl.

  " You are welcome to stay here in my palace if you wish, I can get Bener to show you to your rooms, her room is right down the hall way."

  " Oh…b-but we couldn't…I mean, we couldn't possibly s-stay…here." She said with fear in her voice. 

   "I insist. In fact, take that as an order." He said with a smirk. He knew that there was no way they would disobey a command from the Pharaoh.  

As they were on their way out of his room, looking quite frightened, he held the one girl back.

  " May I ask you your name?" He questioned, his red eyes stared into her beautiful jade ones. She continued to look at him, no one ever showed her this much compassion.

  "I, well uh…." She said quietly pausing as she looked down. Without thinking Yami placed his hand under her chin, and lifted her face up, smiling lightly at her.

   "Your name?" He asked again with a chuckle.

   "My name…it's Athena." With that she slipped out the door and walked down the hall, leaving Yami standing in the doorway, blinking slightly. Why was she scared of him?

    Shrugging it off he turned around and walked back to his bed.

'Athena' he thought 'what a pretty name'. He flopped down on his bed, rather ungracefully and rolled over into it sighing heavily loving the feel of his expensive imported silk sheets. He was beat, but for some reason he couldn't fall asleep. Millions of things were running through his mind, including the girl.

   'Athena' he said her name in his head again. He had never quite seen a human being that beautiful, he found himself running over the delicate features of her face. Especially those jade eyes, he couldn't ever remember seeing eyes so striking. He also couldn't help but wonder why she was so scared of him. But then, as he continued to think about it, he remembered whose son he was, and that definitely had to be it. 

  " Stop it." He suddenly said out loud. 'Stop thinking about her like that, she means nothing.' Since the day he became Pharaoh Yami promised himself that he wouldn't fall in love or, show any kind of compassion for that matter. He had only loved one person in his life. When he was young, and that person loved him back. For a while… But then things changed, and that person ripped his heart out and fed it to the Nile crocodile. It was something that forever-changed Yami and stripped him from ever showing love. '"Its what ruined my father"' he would say. It still pained him to think about it. To him love was just something that got in the way. He had been betrayed by love, and therefor he never gave love.

Aww…poor Yami…no love.

Yami: Shut up Kohaku, I get plenty of love. ::Crosses arms and smirks::

Yea sure, that's why I have posters of Malik all around my room  ::laughs hysterically at the look on Yami's face::

Malik: Did I hear my name?

Yea baby, but not now. I'm busy torturing Yami. ::Narrows eyes, turning back to Yami::

Malik: Sounds like fun, can I join? ::Pulls the knife out of the sennen rod and eyes it hopefully::

Uhh…Malik, I meant mental torture ::rolls eyes:: hopeless case.

Yami: Hello people?!? Back to me and my mental torture here!!

Gomen Yami, I didn't think Malik would show up. I gotta go! ::Grabs Malik's arm and runs off::

Yami: Uhh…Kohaku told me to tell you to please review-onegai shimasu!!…and uhh…oh yea. Tamika-san, Domo Arigato! 

Authors note:

Malik sama wa kono hon o kaite ageta. (Basically "I wrote this for Malik") Ja ne!  


	2. Changes

I don't own Yu Gi Oh™…just lettin' you know…heh heh…

                                      *Changes*  

  
  
  


The next morning came rather early, most likely due to the fact that Yami did not fall asleep until really late.

  " Yami, its time to wake up." Called a familiar voice.

He just moaned and rolled over, slamming the pillow over top of his head.

  " Why do I have do get up so early?" He groaned from under the pillow.

  " Because you have a job to do. Now get up or you won't get your breakfast." She snapped jokingly as she ripped the sheets off of Yami causing him to shiver from the contact of early morning air to his skin. Throwing the pillow off his head, he slowly opened his eyes to find Bener standing by his bed with a trey full of fruit.  

  " Bener," he said as he slowly sat up, " Did you take care of those three girls last night?"

  " Yes, and before they left they told me to thank you."

  " What, they left?" 'Well, they disobeyed a direct order.' He thought as he scowled.

  " Yes, early this morning. Here's your breakfast." She said as she handed him the trey of food. All of his favorite fruits were placed on the trey in small portions. Bener knew him well; she was a plump woman, about sixty of age. She had been the closest thing to a mother that Yami ever had. 

   His own mother died right after he was born, he liked Bener. She was about the only person in Egypt that he both respected and feared. He could always go to her with his problems. She was the only person in Egypt that saw past all his defenses, and saw the true young man he was.

   "I thought they said they had nowhere to go." He said, sounding slightly disappointed.

   "They said this morning that they didn't want to be a burden for you, so I helped them find a place to stay." She said as she started making the bed  " Oh and Yami, you have a visitor." She added, sounding unusually happy.

  " Not again. I thought I already told the Nubians that we would trade with them." He said, not sharing Bener's enthusiasm. He quickly began to eat his food so that he could get dressed. To him, the Nubians were some of the most difficult people to compromise with. He would spend nearly all day trying to make a deal with them. On the other hand, he didn't like to keep their king waiting, he was a testy man, whom Yami thought would kill you as soon as look at you.

  " I afraid it's not a political visitor Yami." At this point she could barely control hey joy. "He arrived here about fifteen minutes ago and insisted that I wake you immediately."

   Yami's eyes went wide as he stood up and dropped the trey of food to the floor with a loud crash that made Bener jump. Could it be who he thought it was? Surely not, because he was dead.  

  " Bener…" He began. But it seemed she knew what he was thinking and she just nodded. As fast as he could Yami ran around his room trying to get dressed. Bener had to help him though because he was in such a rush that he didn't realize he was trying to put his shirt on over his legs. 

   Finally, when he was ready he all but ran out of the room and stormed down the long passageway to the royal throne room. Along the way he almost ran over three servants, not even stopping to say sorry. But they understood, for they knew who arrived at the palace. He was a life long friend of Yami's.

   When Yami arrived at the throne room he stopped at the door. His nerves were running sky high. He hadn't seen his best friend in nearly nine years. For the longest time he had assumed that his friend was dead, until he heard that some of the families of the high priests of Amun had escaped to other countries. 

   His best friend's dad was the former high priest of Amun, and he was brutally murdered by Yami's family. Something Yami never forgave himself of.

  Slowly, Yami opened the throne room doors, unprepared for the greeting that awaited him.

  " Yami!" Yelled the man as he ran over to Yami and wrapped his arms around him, almost making Yami fall over.

  " Malik, it certainly has been a long time!" He said as he embraced his old friend.

   Malik was the same age as Yami; he had pale blonde hair, almost white.  His skin was dark, and his eyes were so striking, they were a beautiful amethyst. Yami almost forgot the feeling warmth that he got every time he stared into his best friend's eyes. 

  " Forgive me my friend." Yami said quietly.

Pulling out of the hug, Malik stared into Yami's misty eyes, and his own began to water.

  " Yami, you don't think I blamed you, do you? I cannot hold you accountable for the actions of your family. I could never be mad at you, you are closer then a brother to me. Besides, I knew…even though you weren't there…that you had nothing to do with it." He said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Yami again. To Yami it was like a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders, for years, the thought of his best friend hating him hit at his heart like a thousand daggers. Yami closed his eyes and some tears fell down his cheek, as he enjoyed the warmth of the friendship that he so missed. He didn't care that he was showing emotion. Malik was his best friend, and he was so relieved to hear those words coming from his mouth. 

A noise behind him made him jump slightly; he turned around to find another person in the room. Yami had never seen this man before. His hair was white, and his skin wasn't very dark. But his eyes were the darkest that Yami had ever seen they were a dark chocolate brown, so dark they were almost black.

  " Oh, sorry Yami I forgot to introduce you two." Said Malik.  "This is Bakura."

  " I'm very honored to be meeting you Pharaoh." Said Bakura as he bowed low. Yami just looked at him as he rolled his eyes. For some reason he hated being called Pharaoh; it was like all he was to people was a title, not a human being. 

  " Its nice to meet you too, Bakura." But Yami was truly puzzled, who was this Bakura? How did Malik know him? Sensing Yami's confusion Malik proceeded to fill him in.

  " We met in Greece after we fled Egypt, we figured that it would be best if we stuck together until we could one day return to this land. He lived in a village that was burned down. Both of his parents were killed, he was one of the lucky ones. The survivors of his village banned together and decided to leave Egypt. My mother and I also decided to leave after father was killed, but…she didn't arrive safely." Malik paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. It was hard for him to talk about his parents. "She came down with malaria and died on the ship before we arrived in Athens. Then, I was alone," He gave Yami a half hearted smile as he chuckled weakly, "And scared out of my wits. But when I arrived in Greece, I met Bakura and some of the people from his village. Together we set up shop in Athens; it seemed as though the people there would take anything Egyptian that they could get their hands on. Our business was quite profitable I must say, but still, we could not wait to return to Egypt. Word came around about two weeks ago that there was a new Pharaoh in Egypt. I knew it had to be you, so we packed our bags and left Athens for Thebes right away. But enough about that, how's it feel being Pharaoh?"

  " Like hell." Yami laughed.

  " That bad huh?" Smiled Malik. "Well how about we show Bakura around the palace?" He added seeing how uncomfortable Bakura looked. 

   Bakura just smiled lightly as he looked around the throne room. Unlike Malik, Bakura had never been inside the palace before. Bakura's father was just a priest of Amun, not a high priest so he wasn't allowed inside the palace. Yami walked up to Bakura and placed a hand on his shoulder. Bakura looked scared to death.

" Ease up Bakura." Yami teased. Bakura took that as an order, not a request and forced a small smile on his face.

  They walked around the palace nearly all day, talking about their childhood memories. Bakura listened, and he truly began to lighten up as he laughed at the childhood antics that Yami and Malik were telling him. 

* * *

  " Yami, I am so glad to be back in Egypt." Malik sighed as he leaned over the balcony in the throne room that overlooked the city.

  " Me too. Athens was a wonderful city, but it was nothing compared to the beauty that is Egypt." Bakura added as he too looked at Thebes. The sun was setting and the lights from the city were beginning to glow, sending a warmth into the three boys as they looked out upon the city.

  "There was one thing I didn't mention today," Yami suddenly said. Malik and Bakura both turned their attention from the city and rested their eyes on the tricolor haired boy.

" Malik, look over there." Said Yami as he pointed out at the city. Malik turned and looked to where Yami was pointing. Something caught his eye as he scanned the city, something he missed when he was looking at the city before.

    Both he and Bakura gasped; high atop a hill they could see hundreds, no thousands of people gathered around the old abandoned temple to the Aten, which was being torn down right before their eyes. 

   " Yami what…?" Malik started as he snapped his head back around at Yami.

  " They are rebuilding the great temple to Amun, I told Seth yesterday to recruit workers to rebuild it."

  " That man waists no time!" Said Malik sounding impressed.

 "Yes, I know. But, I think it's mostly the determination of the people to get rid of the Aten that's going to rise that temple up so quickly. Anyway, Malik what I've been meaning to ask you is… well I have some open spots in that temple for some priests, even a priests apprentice. Are you interested?"

  " Thanks Yami, but, no thanks. I learned a lot from my father about being a priest. And everything I learned I shared with Bakura. We got to know each other in the nine years that we spent in Athens. He always expressed to me his passion for one day being a priest. So I taught him everything that my father taught me." Malik slowly turned his head toward Bakura, as he secretly winked at him. Bakura just smiled. "He is just as ready as I'll ever be, so I was thinking; if you didn't mind of course; that maybe if you had a space open, you could give it to Bakura." Yami just looked at Malik, unsure what to make of all this. He was only supposed to appoint men that had been trained and were fully ready to take on the job of priesthood. Then again, he thought to himself, when had Malik ever steered him wrong? Slowly Yami walked over to the edge of the balcony and sat on the railing. He just stared out at Thebes. By now the sun had completely set, and the air was becoming cool, he rubbed his arms to get rid of the chill.

  " Malik, I think I'll take you up on that offer, and I have the perfect position for him." Yami said as he turned to Bakura. "You can be the new apprentace. Are you willing to take the job?" He asked Bakura.

  " Oh, I think I can handle it." He said with a smile.

  " Good," Yami smiled," His name is Seto, he's a really nice guy, what would you say to an outing tomorrow? So that you can get to know him."

  " Sounds good." Bakura replied.

  " I know a great tavern down in Thebes, it's a good place to meet people." Said Yami.

  " Yea and get drunk…" Malik snorted to Bakura under his breath.

  " I heard that." Yami retorted. With that the three boys made their way back into the throne room, it was getting a little to cold for comfort out on the balcony. 

  " Well Yami, it's been a long day for us, I'm kinda tired, I think I'm gunna turn in for the night." Malik said as he yawned. Yami had noticed that the usually comical, wise guy attitude that Malik had, had been a bit toned down tonight.

  " I noticed." Yami said jokingly. "Well you guys can just pick a room, there's hundreds of them."

  " Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow." Said Malik as he walked out of the throne room and around the corner out of sight.

  " Pharaoh…" Bakura started.

  " You can call me Yami."

Bakura didn't know what to make of this. He had always thought that only close friends and family members could call the Pharaoh by his first name. 'Oh well' he thought as he shrugged it off.

  " Ok… Yami, I have a little problem."

  " Yea?"

  " I've never been in this palace before, and I have no idea where to find a room."  He said as he looked at Yami. 

  " Oh yea, sorry I forgot. Just go down the corridor that Malik went down. When you get to the end make a right, and just pick a guest room." Yami laughed at himself for being so stupid.

  " Thanks." Bakura said with a smile as he too walked out of the throne room and disappeared around the corner. After Bakura left Yami went back out onto the balcony and leaned over the railing. He smiled as he watched his people working on the new temple. They truly were doing a great job. 

   The old temple was already half way torn down, and he was sure that the new temple would be up and running in a month or two. As he was beginning to become lost in his thoughts he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Seto.

  " Good evening Yami." Seto said as he too looked out at the temple. " What a sight."

  " It must be hard for you to wait for the temple to be constructed." Yami smiled softly at him. Even he couldn't wait for it to be finished, and Seto was the high priest.

  " Yea, but right now I'm still looking for an apprentice." 

  " Not having any luck?" Yami questioned with a grin on his face.

  " Nope," Seto said, " What do you look so happy about?" He added seeing the smile on Yami's face.

  " Oh, nothing…" He said teasingly.

  " What is it?" 

  " Well, it took me a long time," he lied, " But I think I've found you the perfect apprentice." 

  " Really Yami? Thank you so much, you didn't have to do that. Seth was going to find me one."

  " I'm just kidding, my best friend came back today and he brought a boy named Bakura along with him. He's all trained up and ready to go, just as soon as the temple is built. If you would like tomorrow, I thought we'd all go down to the tavern in Thebes so that you guys could get to know each other."

  " Sounds good." Seto smiled, " So that's who that man was. I ran into a light blonde haired boy today, I was wondering who he was, I've never seen him before."

  " Oh that's Malik." Said Yami with a more serious look on his face, as he turned away from Seto. Even though Malik didn't blame him, Yami was still deeply hurt by the events of the past. Seto, sensing Yami's change in attitude walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  " What's wrong?" He asked.

  " Nothing." Yami replied quietly.

  " You can't fool me Yami, something's up. Who is that Malik guy?"

  " He's my best friend." Yami answered. He turned to Seto, who had a puzzled look on his face. If Malik was Yami's best friend, he wondered, then why didn't he didn't seem all that happy to talk about him?

  " Is there something you're not telling me?" Seto asked calmly as his icy eyes scanned over the hurt expression on Yami's face. Yami didn't know what to do, he could tell Seto, but that would make him seem like a whimpering child. 

   No he couldn't tell Seto, he couldn't tell anyone. The only person that knew his true feelings was Malik, and he intended to keep it that way.

  " Look, Yami, there's something bugging you, and I'm not leaving this spot until you tell me."

  " Then you'll just have to freeze." Yami said angrily as he brushed past a bewildered looking Seto and walked right out the throne room doors towards his chambers.

  He couldn't believe what he had almost done. He had almost told another human being his true feelings. He was angrier with himself then Seto. But as he reached his chamber doors he heard the sound of running footsteps. 

   ' No not now' he thought 'please leave me alone.' Just as he was about to open his doors a strong hand grabbed his arm with an impenetrable grip. Seto spun him around and roughly slammed him against the wall. 

  " Seto what is the meaning of this?" Yami said, his crimson eyes ablaze.

  " Look, I don't know who you think your fooling Yami, one way or another your going to tell me your problem. You can't keep it bottled up for ever." Seto spat as he stared into Yami's eyes, tightening his grip on the Pharaoh's arm.

  " I've done it so far. Now let go of me at once! That's an order Seto!"

He had no choice but to release the Pharaoh from his impending grip. He could not disobey an order. Yami rubbed the spot on his arm where Seto had clutched on. He was sure that there would be a bruise there tomorrow.

  " Yami, I…I don't know what came over me. Forgive me." Seto said quietly as he avoided the Pharaohs piercing gaze. Yami thought to himself, anyone willing to go that far just to find out his problems must have cared deeply. He…couldn't refuse any longer.

  " Seto come here." He said as he motioned for Seto to come into his room. Seto followed silently.

  " Sit." He simply said as he pointed to a chair by his bed. Seto listened, and he sat down quickly. Yami walked over to the window, and sat on the ledge, making sure that he could not see Seto's face.

  " Contrary to popular belief, my father was not always an evil heartless man." He began. "He was the only person whom I ever loved. My mother Kiya died right after I was born, so my father took care of me all by himself, with the help of Bener. Those were the best years of my life. When I was about three or so, I met Malik. With his father and my father being close friends, he was always running around the palace. His father was the high priest of Amun. Life was good, until I turned six. My father met this woman; she was a beautiful woman, with an ugly soul. Her name was Nefrititi. My father fell in love with her the moment he saw her and I hated her from the moment I saw her. From that day forward things changed. I was young at the time, but I remember leaving Thebes and traveling to a new city in the desert. It was called Amarna. A whole new city was there, it was a nice place, but I was so sad because we left Malik behind and pretty much everyone else that had to do with the religion of Amun. That woman had her own ideas about what the religion of Egypt should be. So she persuaded my father to tear down all the temples of Amun and the other Gods, and construct new temples to one god. He was hesitant, what was he going to do with all the priests, his best friend? ' Kill them' she said. But he would have nothing to do with the murder of thousands of priests. That night, against his wishes, she ordered the entire Egyptian army to go with and destroy the temples and kill any and all of the priests and in some cases, even their families. She even killed some of them herself. The next morning when my father woke up and found out what happened, he was heart broken, for he knew that his best friend did not survive the brutal murders. Nefrititi had succeeded in accomplishing what she came to do; she had corrupted my father. His heart turned as cold as hers was, and he slowly began to join in the bloodshed, following her every command. As for me, I thought for sure that Malik had not made it out alive." By this point Yami closed his eyes, he didn't know it would be this hard to tell someone what happened. Seto just stared, open mouthed at Yami. He had no idea…

  " Beauty, and love have a tendency to corrupt people Seto," He said still gazing out the window, " Don't let it corrupt you. I promised my self that from the day I became Pharaoh. I wouldn't let love do to me what it did to my father."

  "What ever happened to that woman?" Seto asked.

  " Nefrititi? That bitch fled the country as soon as I became Pharaoh. She was scared of what I would do to her if I ever got my hands on her." Yami said coldly. 

  " Yami, I… I'm so sorry."

  " Its nothing Seto. My heart has grown cold over the years as well. I have no feelings anymore." He lied to Seto, and himself." Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to try and get some sleep."

  " Right. Well I'll see you tomorrow then." Said Seto as he stood up from the chair and quietly walked out of the room.

Yami was left sitting on the windowsill, with his old wounds reopened. He was dying right before his eyes. He had never told anyone what he just told Seto, and now he wished that he didn't tell him. What was Seto going to think of him now? Was he going to tell anyone?  Yami couldn't bear the thought of anyone knowing his true feelings. He inwardly cursed at himself for telling Seto.

   Sluggishly he got up from the windowsill and made his way over to the bed. He wasn't really all that tired; he just didn't want Seto to see him at his lowest point. He slowly lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. At this rate he didn't think he'd ever get a decent nights sleep as Pharaoh, to him that was funny because he probably had the most comfortable bed in all of Egypt. Again he found his thoughts resting on that beautiful girl, 'Athena.' And that was it. He was lulled to sleep thinking of her beautiful face.

* * *

 " This bed is so comfortable Yami." Someone said.

 " I know." He moaned, his eyes still closed, he wasn't ready to get up yet. All of a sudden, he felt someone's warm breath upon his face. He smiled lightly; the sensation was fairly pleasant. 

   Slowly he opened his eyes, completely unprepared for the sight that awaited him.

  " Malik! What the hell?!" Yami yelled as he shoved his hands against Malik's shoulders. Unable to grab on to anything, Malik fell off the bed, landing on the ground rather ungracefully in a fit of laughter, taking the sheets with him.

  " I was just having some fun Yami, don't be so uptight." Malik said as he rubbed his head, he fell on it rather hard. "Anyway, its time to…" But he was abruptly cut off as he was hit smack in the face with a pillow. " Oh no you don't!" Malik yelled as he reached for another pillow on Yami's bed. Too late, Yami snatched it up before Malik could get to it.

  " Ha ha." Yami teased, " Now your in for it!"

He was ruthless. Taking both the pillows, he smashed Malik's head in between them.

  " Yami…"

BAM! Yami cracked Malik on top of his head.

  " Ouch! That really hurt!"

  " Oh no, I'm sorry Malik." Yami said sarcastically seeing as how his friend was extremely out of breath, his long blonde hair was a mess." Here I'll make it fair." He said, throwing Malik a pillow.

  " You'll regret that Yami!" Malik sprang onto the bed, taking Yami by surprise, as his pillow made harsh contact with Yami's back. Yami fell over onto the bed, completely venerable. " Ha ha, now you're in for it!"

  " Shit." 

  " Shit's right!" Malik said as he prepared to strike Yami again, all of a sudden Malik's legs gave out from under him. Yami had tripped him.

  " Nobody hits me and gets away with it." Yami smirked as he quickly sprang up. Malik noticed that Yami didn't have a pillow in his hand.

  " Uh oh…" Malik looked terrified.

  " Yup, you know what's coming." With that Yami latched his hands around the blonde's waist and began to tickle him relentlessly.

  " Ahh! No!" Malik shrieked. " Stop! That tickles!" 

  " Not gunna stop 'til you say it!" Yami laughed as he continued to tickle his helpless friend, he knew all Malik's weak spots. 

  " Ok, ok." Malik could barely breath." I am a dung beetle."

  " What was that? I didn't hear you!" Yami was laughing hard at Malik because the poor boy was turning red.

  " I am a dung beetle! I am a dung beetle! Now get off me!"

  " Ok." Yami simply stated. He turned around and flopped back down on his bed, with his back facing Malik. Seizing this perfect opportunity Malik quietly picked up the pillow, he had it lifted over his head about to give Yami the beating of a lifetime when…

  " Malik, put that pillow down if you know what's good for you." Yami's back was still facing Malik.

  " How did…?"

  " Don't ask questions, just put it down, unless you want to get tickled until you turn blue."

Malik put the pillow down and jumped off the bed, which by now was a horrible mess, pillows thrown everywhere and the sheets were on the floor.

  " Good times." Malik sighed as he sat in the chair next to Yami's bed, desperately trying to fix his messy hair.

  " I always win." Smiled Yami as he turned over in his bed to face Malik.

  " No you don't, you just had home field advantage this time." Malik scoured. " That's alright, I'll get you next time." He thretened, narrowing his powder azure eyes.

  " By Ra what happened in here!" Both Yami and Malik jumped. It was Bener.

  " Hey Bener how's it goin'?" Malik asked as he jumped to his feet.

  " It was good until I came in to see this mess!" She replied, as she placed 2 treys of food down on the ground and walked over to the bed, picking up a pillow and launching it full force at Yami's face. He ducked out of the way just in time.

  " Its ok Bener. Malik and I were just catching up on old times. Right buddy?" He turned to Malik and winked at him as he jumped out of bed. " We'll clean this up."

  " You'd better!" She said with a smile. " I thought you'd be in here Malik so I brought you your food too."

  " Thanks Bener." He said as she handed him the trey.

  " So what do you boys have planed for today?" She inquired.

  " Not much, I figured we'd all go down to the tavern so that Seto and Bakura could get to know each other." Said Yami as he walked over to get his food from the floor. He sat back down on the bed and began to eat.

  " Yami, I don't want you boys coming back flat out drunk like you did the last time!"

  " Don't worry Bener, it's just a couple of drinks!" He sniggered.

  " Uh huh." She said as she rolled her eyes." Well have a good time then. Malik, it's so great having you back. I haven't seen Yami this happy in Ra knows how long." She walked out of the room, Yami blushed slightly.

  " Awl, ya missed me that much?" Malik teased him.

  " Shut up Malik." Yami growled. He put his trey of food and made his way over to the bathing chamber. He splashed some cool, refreshing Nile water over his face and chest, it smelled amazing. With luxurious imported oils mixed in the water, it made him feel soft, and smell wonderful. He grabbed a silk towel from off the wall and began to dry off. Coming out of the room he found Malik still sitting in the chair, trying to fix his hair.

  " You know, you can get cleaned up too." Yami said as he motioned back towards the bathing chamber.

  " Thanks, I think I will." He walked over to the room and went behind the wall. Yami began to get dressed, when all of a sudden he heard an enormous splash. He ran over to the room and looked down. Malik's clothes were on the floor and Malik had jumped into the bathing pool.

  " Malik. I said you could get cleaned up, not take a swim!" He yelled, laughing hysterically.

  " My hair wouldn't fix!" He yelled back from across the room, " I had to get it wet!" He swam back over to where Yami was standing." Turn around so I can get out." Yami turned around, and he heard Malik's wet body climb out of the bathing pool.

  " Can you hand me a towel?" He asked. Yami reached over to the wall, grabbed a silk towel and handed it to Malik. "Thanks."

  " You done yet?"

  " Yea."

Yami turned back around to see Malik dripping like a wet dog, his whitish blonde hair plastered to his head, as he held the towel around his waist.

  " I'm gunna go back into my room so you can get dressed."

  " Ok."

He walked back into his room and made his way over to the window. He squinted his eyes because of the harsh sun as he looked out at the new temple that was being constructed. Evidently, the people had worked over night because where the old temple stood there was nothing but rubble. It was completely torn down. 'Amazing' he thought to himself. Slowly he closed his eyes as he basked in the warmth of the Egyptian sun. The heat felt good on his skin. His mind began to wander, and of course it wandered right to Athena. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. 'No. It doesn't matter if I ever see her again.' But no matter how much he told himself this, deep down it did.

  " Are you going to sit there all day?" Malik asked when he saw Yami sitting on the windowsill with his eyes closed. Yami snapped his eyes open, he was beginning to dose off.

  " No." He simply stated as he got up from the windowsill and finished getting dressed.

* * *

  " What took you guys so long? We've been waiting here for over an hour!" Bakura questioned as the 2 boys walked into the throne room.

  " Just catching up on old times Bakura, nothing to have a fit about." Malik teased as he approached Bakura. Yami however didn't say anything. He felt rather uncomfortable around Seto, as he looked at him out of the corner of his eye. ' Damn it, why did I tell him?'

  " Yami!" Malik shouted as he snapped his fingers in front of Yami's face.

  " Oh, sorry. Malik this is Seto, my new high priest. Seto, this is my best friend Malik." They shook hands as Seto offered Malik a weak smile. Malik didn't return it however; there was something about Seto that he just didn't quite like. 'Oh well' he shrugged it off.

  " How's it going Seto?" He asked putting a smile on his face. It wasn't fair for him to judge the man before he got to know him.

  " Good. And you?" Seto replied, but his attention kept on running over to Yami. It truly was an uncomfortable moment. But he shrugged it off as well, he planned to get down right smashed today at the tavern so he could forget all his cares, at least for tonight.

  " And I believe you've already met your apprentice Bakura, am I correct?" Yami questioned, still feeling a bit tense.

  " Yes," Seto replied, avoiding Yami's eyes." We talked a little before you guys came."  

Bakura looked away, he didn't know how this was going to work. He felt so out of place standing next to three very important men. He too had plans of getting extremely drunk, so maybe he could ease up a bit. He usually wasn't this quiet. 

 Yami hated feeling this uncomfortable around Seto. His initial feelings about him began to change. Despite what he had told Bener, Yami also planed to drink quite heavily today, in hopes of releasing some of this tension. 

  " Ok, well now that we've said our hellos, how 'bout we make our way down to the tavern?" Malik asked. He wanted to get down to that tavern, because he just flat out wanted to get drunk.    

The 4 boys made their way out of the palace and down the city road. Yami was taking it all in. It had been a long time since he'd been outside; the hot sun was beating harshly on his tanned back. He loved it. The people of the city stopped what they were doing, and stared at Yami as he passed them on the street. Never did they see a Pharaoh just come out of the palace and walk the city streets, it was a first for them. Some were frightened half to death, others looked on with admiration.

  " There it is." Malik said as he pointed to a 2 story building on the right side of the road. It was a quaint little building with a table out in front where 2 men were sitting, having a drink and playing senet, a popular Egyptian game. As Yami walked past them and into the building they choked on the beer that they had just swallowed, and stared opened mouthed at what they just saw, hardly able to believe their own eyes.

  " Boy, Yami people seem surprised to see you." Malik stated as he too stepped into the tavern followed by Seto and Bakura.

  " Nice place." Said Seto as he looked around the interior of the room. The tavern was fairly dark, but cozy, with a pleasant smell to it, a mixture of the stronger alcohol's, with a faintly sweet tinge of fruits. And, he noticed it was rather empty for being mid day. Each of the boys walked up to the bar and took a seat on a stool.

  " What can I get you?" Asked the bartender as he turned around. He quickly swallowed his words. " Pha… Pharaoh Yami!" He squeaked. "Forgive me I didn't know it was you!"

  " Its ok." Yami said.

Malik sniggered under his breath, and Yami kicked him hard under the table.

  " Ouch!"

  " Just bring us some nice cold beer." Yami told him as he reached for a pouch of gold from his cloak. 

  " Right away Pharaoh." And he walked away.

  " Right away Pharaoh." Malik said sardonically. Yami kicked him again, harder this time.

  " Ouch, Yami why did you do that?" Malik asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

  " Funny Malik." Yami snapped. Malik just stuck his tongue out at him, which made all 4 boys laugh. 

  " The beer's here." Malik said as he saw the bartender make his way over to where they were sitting.

  " Here's your beer Pharaoh," the bartender said as he nervously put down the pitcher of beer and 4 glasses onto the table. "Enjoy." He said as he walked away.

  " We will alright…" Said Malik as he quickly grabbed a glass and helped himself to some beer. " Mmm." He said as he licked his lips, where he could still taste trace amounts of the heavenly liquid.

  " How 'bout you share that with the rest of us Malik?" Bakura demanded as he snatched the pitcher away from him, and poured himself a glass.

  " Top me off, Bakura." Yami said, holding his empty glass up.

  " Me too." Seto said.

Several hours and many booze later, the whole mood of the group began to change. Each one of them was becoming slightly intoxicated. Malik being the drunkest began rambling on about what he would do if he were Pharaoh.  

  " If it were me," he said with slightly slurred speech,  "I'd build myself a big ol' pyramid. Bigger then Khufus'!" He turned his head to Bakura, who by this point had tears in his chocolate eyes. "And then ya know what I'd do?" He asked, " I'd slide down it!" He said as he lifted his glass in the air, spilling some of its contents onto the table. The boys roared with laughter, and Bakura almost fell off his stool. Quickly regaining his composure he took another sip from his glass.

  " That's my Malik, a drunkard till the end!" Yami laughed. 

  " I whooped your ass this morning Yami!" Malik shouted. Both Seto and Bakura turned and looked at Yami with an 'is this true' look on their faces.

  " No you didn't Malik, I slammed you with that pillow so many times, when I was done with you it looked like you had just gotten into a fist fight with Ra!" Yami snapped back, he being the least intoxicated of the group.

  " Ha ha Malik! You got whooped!" Seto teased him. As Malik, Bakura and Seto continued to argue, Yami noticed someone coming down from upstairs. It was her. His heart jumped from his chest into his throat. ' By Ra,' he thought as he looked at her, he didn't remember her looking that beautiful. His eyes followed her to a table, where she sat down alone. He slowly got up from the table and began to walk over to where she was sitting.

  " Yami where you going?" Bakura asked.

  "…"

  " Whatever" he simply said as he turned back around to continue his argument with Malik and Seto.

  " Athena?" He said quietly as he approached her table. She looked up at him. ' Oh no.'

  " Pharaoh Yami, what are you doing here?" She found herself asking.

  " Uuh, I came to have a drink." Was the obvious answer, as he motioned behind him to a table across the tavern, where his three intoxicated friends were sitting, being obnoxiously loud.

  " Oh," She giggled. " Well, have a seat Pharaoh."

  " Call me Yami." He said as he gazed into her brilliant jade eyes. He had that feeling again; it was like he had just fallen from the clouds. 'Stop it'

  "Ok… Yami." She said, giggling. 

  " What's so funny?" He asked her. She just looked behind him, he turned around to find all three of his drunken buddies staring at him, whistling and hollering from across the room. He felt his face flush. Hoping she wouldn't notice he turned back around and sat down, avoiding her gaze.

  " So. Why did you leave?" He suddenly asked.

  " Well, we didn't want to cause you any trouble. So we came here, we've got a nice little room upstairs." She told him.

  " You wouldn't have caused me any trouble. In fact, your presence would have been quite a refreshing change." 'No, why did I say that!' She blushed, her cheeks turned as red as Yami's crimson eyes. "If you guys want to come back, their will always be a place open for you." 'Shut you mouth you idiot, before you say something you'll regret.' He told himself, it seemed that he had a little too much to drink tonight, and it was clouding his judgement.

  " Hold on a sec." She said as she got up from the table and ran upstairs, leaving Yami sitting there, inwardly cursing at himself. 'You fool, she's messing you up.' " I know." He said aloud. And for that one moment, he didn't care.

 No sooner did she leave that he found himself surrounded by his comrades. 

  " Way to go Yami!" Bakura said as he slapped Yami on the back.  

  " She's beautiful." Seto told him. At that Yami looked puzzled. Seto should know who she was; he tried to give her as a gift to him. But then again Yami realized just how drunk Seto was. He probably wouldn't know his own reflection if he saw it.

  " Yami's got a girlfriend, Yami's got a girlfriend!" Malik said teasingly.   

  " Be quiet Malik." Yami said maliciously, the look he shot Malik. If looks could kill… But Malik was completely unfazed by the angry looks that Yami gave him.

  " Oh, oh here she comes! Quick lets go back to out table." Bakura said. And as quickly as they came, they left. Athena didn't notice them leaving her table as she walked over and sat back down.

  " What was that all about?" He asked her.

  " Oh…nothing. I was just thinking about taking you up on your offer."

  " My offer?"

  " Yea, you know, to come stay back at the palace?" She gave him an unsure look.

  " Oh."

  " Are you ok Yami?" She asked him, sounding concerned.

  " Yea I'm fine." He lied. He wasn't fine. 'By Ra.' He thought as he looked at her, he was as far from fine as he possibly could be. He was at war with himself. He kept on telling himself that she meant nothing to him, 'she's just a girl' he thought 'a…very beautiful girl…'

  "So anyway, I went up to talk to my friends, to see if they wanted to come. They said no."

  "Ok." 'Noo! If they don't come she won't come!'

  " But…" She said

  'Ok there's a but…' He thought. 'Wait a minuet, no, I…don't want her to come…' "But?"

  " They insisted that if I wanted to go that I should go."

  " Like I said before, you are more then welcome to stay." 'No she's not!' Try as he might, the young Pharaoh was loosing the battle with himself.

   "Ok, thanks Yami, I think I will." She said.

   " Would… you like a drink?" He asked her.

   "Absolutely, I haven't had a drink in a long time."

   " Excuse me for a second." Yami got up from the table and walked over to the mess that was his friends. He took the pitcher of beer from them and began to walk away.

   " Hey Yami! What do you think your doing?" Malik yelled at him.

   " You three have had enough alcohol to kill a god! I think its time that you should head home." Yami yelled back.

   " Oh, I see, we're not wanted anymore." Malik said, trying his best to sound sad. " Fine then… Seto! Bakura!" He yelled at them, trying to get their attention. " I think its time to go."

Both men were completely and utterly wasted, which was precisely why they came.

   " Ok Malik." Seto grumbled.

It literally took all their willpower to stand up from the table and walk away from their drinks. They were loud and rowdy, and Yami could hear them all the way down the street. Yami just rolled his ruby eyes, as he walked back to Athena's table.

   " You have some unusual friends Yami." She said as he sat down.

   " Oh, that's nothing, you haven't seen them sober." He joked. Athena just smiled as she poured Yami and herself some beer. Yami was as nervous as a sheep in a lion's den. How was he going to get himself out of this mess? He should have never walked over to her when he saw her come down. But… 'She's so perfect' he thought as he watched her take a drink.  The yearning he had to tell her how he felt was almost unbearable. He took a drink of his beer; maybe he should get just as wasted as his friends. Then it wouldn't matter what happened.

   " You're a real nice guy, you know that?" She told him as her amazing pale green eyes stared into his own crimson ones. He about melted, every time he looked into those eyes.

   " What do you mean?" He choked up. For some reason he was having trouble talking.

  " Well, first you let us go," She paused, "Then you gave us a place to stay. And now you've invited us, well me, back." Yami felt his face flush pink.                                                                          

   " I did what anybody would have done." He took another drink from his glass. Still intending to become heavily intoxicated. 

As the night wore on, both began to loosen up. Amusing each other with stories about their best friends. Athena found Malik to be a very funny guy as Yami told her about what Malik did to him this morning. They talked late into the night, until finally the bartender came to their table and told them that he was closing.

   " Ok, ok. We're going." Yami said to him, as he stood up from the table, kind of shaky. "You coming?" He asked Athena.

  "If I can get up!" She laughed, she had became far more drunk then she has intended on becoming. Not Yami though, he was extremely satisfied with how drunk he had become. Now he didn't have a care in the world. In fact, his biggest issue at the moment was how they were going to make it back up to the palace. He could hardly see straight, and Athena could barely stand up. 

    It took everything in them to simply stay silent as they crept there way up to the palace. Yami and Athena were so drunk; they kept falling over each other, and anything else that happened to be in their way, as they would fall back, still laughing like lunatics.  They stumbled over things blindly, unable to quell the giggles as they entered the palace doors.

    By the time they had reached Yami's room, it looked like a tornado had followed them home. He pushed open the doors and they scuffed into the room, both feeling rather dizzy, they collapsed onto Yami's bed, to tiered to even move, they just fell asleep where they lay, but not before Yami put his hand around her as she snuggled closer, welcoming the embrace. This was going to be the best night of sleep that Yami got in a long time. He didn't have to fall asleep thinking of her beautiful face, she was right there next to him. He watched her sleeping, until his eyes became heavy and he too closed his eyes, resting his chin on her soft black hair.

Yea, that was kinda long, but don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from!! Muwaaa hahahahaha!!!

Again, I want to thank Tamika, seriously, that was the best poster I've ever seen. ***wink wink***


	3. New Feelings

***New Feelings***

Yami awoke this morning; not by Bener ripping the sheets from off him, or by Malik breathing on his face, but by a soft kiss that was planted on his neck. The sensation made him shiver, those lips were so soft and warm, it put a smile on his face. He opened his eyes and looked at her, she was the most gorgeous being that he had ever laid eyes on. Truly a gift from the gods. A gift that he could not except. 'What the hell did I just do. I just slept with a woman, I let her kiss me!' But that's not what scared him the most, what tortured him was the fact that he actually enjoyed it. He let go of her and sat up on his bed, rubbing his temples. He had the biggest headache, mostly, he assumed from getting drunk the previous night, but partly because he was so frustrated with himself for even coming that close to caring about someone.

  "Is something wrong Yami?" Athena asked as she sat up. Little did Yami know that she was going through the same torture that he was.

   "No, no I'm fine. I've just got a busting headache." He was partially telling the truth, his head was throbbing.

   "It's called a hangover." She laughed at him as she ran her fingers through his silky hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the others soft delicate touch.

   "I know." He moaned softly. She began to kiss the back of his neck. He melted with each tender impact. How could he refuse her?  It would seem like a sin if he denied her of anything she wanted. She was truly a goddess. 'By Ra.' why was she doing this to him now?

   "Athena." He whispered. 

   "Yes Yami." She cooed gently as her big beautiful emerald green eyes pierced his already wounded heart.

   "I…have to…get up." 

   "Ok." She said, letting go of him.

He got up from the bed, quickly getting dressed.

   " I have to go. Feel free to explore the palace to your hearts content." He said as he walked out of the room leaving her sitting on his bed. 

  She just sat there for the longest time resting her chin on her knees with her arms wrapped around her legs. 'I can't care about him… I wont!' Closing her eyes, she felt a tear run down her cheek. Harshly, she wiped it away with her shirtsleeve 'oh stop it' she told herself 'don't waist your tears on him.' Too late. She slammed her face down into the pillow and cried.

* * *

Yami didn't know what to do, so he turned to the only person in Egypt that knew him, even better then he knew himself. He went to Bener. As soon a he marched out of his room, he marched right down the hall and knocked on her chamber doors before he entered. She was folding sheets at the time, when she saw that it was Yami; she put her sheets down and walked over to him. Bener could see the expression etched into his face; it was of utter turmoil.

   "Yes Yami?" She inquired.

How was he going to say this? He had never had a reason to talk to her about such a thing. By the lengthy silence, she got a pretty good idea of what he wanted to talk to her about as she beckoned Yami closer.

   "Let me guess. This conversation has something to do with that beautiful girl that's in your room?"

Yami almost choked at how clearly she could read his thoughts.

   "How…did?"

"I came in early this morning and found you two sleeping like babies." She answered his question before he could finish it.

   "Yes, well I'm hear to ask for your help. I want to get her out of the palace." Bener just stared at him. "In the nicest way possible, of course." He added, seeing the look on Bener's face.

   "I'm sorry Yami but I just can't let you do that." She said to him as she began her folding again.

   "And why not?" He asked, rather harshly.

   "Because Yami, you like her. There's no changing that." She said, glancing at him as she folded up some clean silk towels. "Dare I say it? You might even care about her."

   "Stop it! No I don't!" He couldn't take it anymore. He put his hands over his face as he began pacing back and forth. Bener was just telling him what he already knew. And it scared the hell out of him.

   "Yami, I know it's hard for you to love, but its not impossible. You know, not all love ends in tragedy." She added. Bener knew exactly why it was so hard for the young Pharaoh to admit his feelings. She had witnessed first hand what Yami was so afraid to tell. She didn't hate Akhenaten, but oh how she hated that woman. She ruined so many lives, including the life of the boy that was pacing right in front of her. Sometimes she wished that Nefrititi didn't have a chance to flee Egypt. Bener would have loved to see that woman suffer at the hands of Yami, to see her pay for all the hurt she caused.

   "Bener, what do I do?" Yami asked. In all honesty, he knew what he wanted to do. He just wanted to tell Athena everything, he wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to protect her from the world, so nothing could ever harm her.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," He started. "I hardly know her, but at the same time, I feel like I've know her forever. She makes me feel like a better person, when I know I'm not. I don't want anything to hurt her, and I …I want her…horribly, but there's that little thing that happened to me a long time ago that prevents me from caring for her…she's making it hard. And…I care about her." He muttered the words, not wanting to believe them. "How could I have let this situation get so far out of hand? I can't care about her, I can't want her the way I do!" Yami was still pacing around the room.

Bener laughed at him. 

   "You're an idiot you know. Why don't you spend more time with her, then if you still wont admit that you care for her, I'll personally boot her out of the palace." Bener said this with no intention on doing any such thing. She new what would happen if Yami spent more time with Athena, it was already happening. "Now go. Get out of here." She said as she pushed him to the door.

He walked out of her room, there was no use in arguing with her, Bener always got what she wanted. Slowly he walked past his chamber doors. He couldn't go in there yet, he wasn't ready. So instead he made his way down to the guestrooms. He wasn't exactly sure where Malik was staying, but the faint smell of liquor led him to a room, not far from his own. Quietly he pushed open the doors. What he saw was enough to make him want to laugh until he died. He saw Malik on his bed, but not just Malik. Bakura and Seto were also laying on the bed, passed out in a tangle of arms and legs. The room strongly smelled like the same thing that they were drinking last night, and as he approached the bed he saw empty flasks of beer, lying on the floor. 'So, you thought you were being sneaky did you?' He laughed as he quietly slipped his fingers through Malik's blonde hair and latched on. 'I hope this hurts Malik.' With that, Yami pulled the blond boy up by his hair with all his might, and slammed him on the ground. Malik hit the floor with a loud thud. 

   " What the hell…who?" He questioned. As he looked up he saw Yami standing over top of him. His cobalt eyes narrowed as he made a rather rude gesture toward Yami. "What did you do that for?"

   "You know perfectly damn well why Malik." Yami said as he picked up an empty glass.

   "Sorry for having some fun, Yami. By Ra, its not my fault your always so up tight!"

   "I wouldn't say such things if I were you Malik." Yami snarled as he lifted his hand to smack the boy, but he changed his mind. "On the first day that you met him, you got my high priest so drunk, he wont even be able to get out of bed today! I told you to just go home. Why was that so hard for you to do?"

   "I don't know Yami, you seemed like you were having a fine time trying to get home last night." Malik growled. "You and the girl!" He added, knowing it would press Yami's buttons. "But don't worry, they didn't see." He motioned back to Bakura and Seto who were still sleeping, "But that doesn't mean that I wont…" He was abruptly cut off as Yami knelt down and picked him up harshly by his hair again, he drew Malik's face in so close to his own, that Malik could feel Yami's breath across his face.

   "Go ahead Malik tell them," Yami threatened, "tell them and see what happens." Yami's blood red eyes were so fierce looking. But it was because he was scared that he was acting so irrational. He was scared of what would happen if those two boys found out about his weakness. To them he didn't have a weakness, and he intended on keeping it that way. Hell he was even scared to tell Malik. Malik being his best friend, the one he told everything to and Yami couldn't even tell him. 

   "Ok Yami, I'm not gunna tell them. By Ra, I was just kidding."

Yami quickly released Malik's hair, and stood up. 'What just came over me.' He turned around and began to walk out of the room, completely ignoring the reason why he had come in the first place.

   "Yami wait." Malik called as he ran after him massaging his head. Not only did he have a major hangover, but his head was now throbbing from where Yami had pulled on his hair. "Something's bugging you."

   "Yea, the fact that you had to go and get my high priest smashed." Yami spat.

   "Besides that." Malik said as he waved away Yami's comment.

   "There is nothing besides that."

Malik looked at his troubled friend and simply stated. "It's the girl."

   "What do you mean. What girl?" Yami tried desperately to sound as normal as possible. 'Ra, is it that obvious? First Bener, now Malik!'

   "You can't fool me Yami. I may have been drunk last night, but I saw the way you'd look at her. It was as if she was the only person in the world." Malik stared at him.

   "Malik," Yami looked to make sure the two boys were still completely knocked out. "You know me better then anyone, I'm not capable of caring this deeply about someone."

   "You right Yami, I do know you well, and I know that you are afraid to care about someone, but you're not incapable of it." Malik was right; every word he spoke was the truth. "And I also know this," he continued, "I've never seen you like this before. Yami, you do care about her in some way."

Yami was in silent agreement. He did care about her and of all the power he had as Pharaoh, he was not powerful enough to get rid of this feeling. He had to except what fate had dealt him. As cruel as it seemed, Yami had no choice.

   "Where is she now?" Malik questioned.

   "Still in my room I think. Why?"

   "I think you need to talk to her, not me." Said Malik.

   "That's the same thing Bener told me." Yami smiled lightly.

   "Well then, why don't you do it?"

   "I cant." 

   "And just why not?" Malik looked extremely worried. He had only seen his friend in this much anguish once…

   "I wont!" Yami slammed his fist against the wall as he closed his eyes and leaned against it. Slowly he slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor, where he buried his head in his hands. Is this what dying felt like? He wondered, he knew this feeling all to well. It was the same pain that he went through every day of his life, amplified by the fact that only a few rooms away their sat a girl on his bed that was confusing him, drowning him, to the point where it only hurt when he breathed.

   "Shh, its ok Yami." Malik said as he sat down on the floor beside his friend and put a comforting arm around him. "You're only feeling like this because you want to. You don't want to know what it could feel like if you admitted to caring about her." Again Malik was right, Yami couldn't imagine that caring about someone could ever bring him joy. He had spent his entire life building up a wall that he could hide behind. Ever so slowly, Athena was taking it down brick by brick, he had no where to hide any longer.

   "I'm…gunna go now." Yami uttered, almost so silently that he could barely hear himself. Malik just nodded as he helped Yami stand to his feet. Slowly Yami regained his fortitude as he walked out of Malik's room.

* * *

Athena was crying for what felt like hours when she heard a rap on the door.

   "Come in." She sniffed, hastily trying to wipe away her tears.

Expecting to see Yami, she was quite taken aback when her eyes rested on a friendly looking short plump woman who entered the room.

   "Hello dear. My name is Bener; I'm the palace nanny. I brought you some food, and clean clothes." She said, holding up the trey of food. The clothes were nestled in-between her arm and her body because her hands were full. As she walked closer to Athena, Bener noticed that the poor child had been crying. Placing the food on the table next to the bed; Bener sat down on the bed. 

   "What's wrong?" Bener asked, but she had a pretty good idea already. Athena looked up at the kindly woman; her brilliant jade eyes dulled slightly as she bit back the sob that was in her throat.

   "I…don't really know." She answered. Not able to suppress the tears any longer she buried her head in her hands, crying out loud. Bener took hold of her thin body in a warm reassuring hug. The type of hug that only a mother could give.

   "He hates me." She cried into Bener's arms.

   "Come now. You know that's not true. He just needs time. Yami is…well different then most guys." Bener said as she patted her on the back. She had almost said too much. As much as Bener wanted for the poor girl to know, she thought that Yami should be the one to tell her. "He cares more then you think, he just doesn't realize it yet."

Athena lifted her head up, she smiled weakly.

   "Is that true?" She asked.

   "I swear to the Gods." Bener said with a smile. "Are you hungry?" She asked reaching for the trey of food. Athena hadn't really thought about it before now, but her stomach was rather empty.

   "Very much so." She said, taking the trey that Bener handed her. "Thank you."

   "Your quite welcome." Bener smiled. "Here are your clothes," She said as she placed them on the bed, "and there is a bathing chamber right over there, if you want to get cleaned up." 

   "Thank you Bener." She said again.

   "You are such a sweet child, 'no wonder Yami has fallen for you' now cheer up." Bener said as she took her apron and wiped away the rest of Athena's tears. "I'm going to go now, just holler if you need anything. My room is right across the hall." With that, Bener got up and walked out of the room.

  When Athena finished eating, she decided that she would take a bath, so she slipped out of her clothes and put on the robe that Bener brought her. It was a very comfortable robe, made of thin, soft linen. Leisurely she made her way over to the bathing chamber; as soon as she walked in she was overwhelmed with luxurious smells. Lotus flowers and fine oils wafted in the air, she removed her robe and stepped down into the huge, pool sized bath. Almost instantly, her body began to relax, the oils that were mixed into the water softened her already silky smooth skin. She swam to the other side of the bath and back a couple of times before she closed her eyes and went under.

* * *

Yami had been walking around the palace for hours before he made up his mind as to what he was going to do; by now it was evening and he thought maybe he should talk to her. Ever so slowly he made the trek to his chambers, unaware of what he'd find. When he reached his doors he softly knocked. No answer. He knocked louder; still no answer. Was she sleeping? Did she leave? 'No' his heart jumped slightly, as he opened the doors. He looked at his bed. She wasn't there; he made his way over to the balcony. Not there either. But as he walked back into his room he heard splashing coming from the bathing room. 'Malik?' But it wasn't Malik. Yami peered beyond the wall that separated his main chamber, from his bathing chamber. It was her.

   "Enjoy your day?" He asked her as he walked into the room.

   " Yami I…" She snapped her head around at the sound of his deep sensual voice. "I'm sorry I didn't know you were in here." She said as she swam to the ledge. He couldn't take it any longer; he had to have her. He wanted to taste her lips on his, and ravish them to his hearts content. He walked over to the edge of the bath where she was and knelt down.

   "You're beautiful; you know that." Was all he could think of saying, as he cupped her chin in his hand and slowly brought her lips up to his own. 'She is as delicious as she looks.' He found himself thinking. Her lips were as soft as lotus petals; she was as intoxicating as the strongest drugs, sending Yami into a high of which words could not describe. Although he wanted to, Yami did not deepen the kiss, for fear of going to far. Slowly her wet arms crept around his neck and…

Splash!

She yanked Yami into the pool of water with a definite crash. She giggled as the shaken Pharaoh rose up from under the water.

   "You'll pay for that." He told her, as he looked her right in the eyes.

   " Oh really?" She said raising an eyebrow sensually.

 " Most definitely." He whispered as he gently pushed her against the pool wall. Slowly, as his hands caressed her naked body, he began to kiss his way up her neck, gently nipping on the tender skin. Athena shut her eyes, as a soft moan of pleasure escaped her lips. Her heart was beating so loudly; she was worried that Yami would hear it. Yami smiled as he felt her body shiver.

   "Enjoying this?" He chuckled.

   "Yes." She managed to say before her lips were assaulted by his.

She could feel his warm breath on her face as she slowly opened her mouth allowing him to enter.

 Hesitant at first, Yami gently pushed his velvety soft tongue into her mouth. She tasted amazing, like honey and spices; no, like the sweetest wine and fruit. Giving up, he decided that he would never figure out the sweet taste of the girl he was kissing. He ran his fingers through her dark, wet hair as he deepened the kiss.

 She pushed her tongue back into his mouth, clasping on his lips hard, his eyes shot open at the sudden invasion, but they slowly closed again as he enjoyed the embrace. Gradually she pulled away from his mouth as she playfully nipped at his bottom lip. He opened his eyes, and planted a soft kiss on the end of her nose.

   "That tickles." She giggled as she pushed off the wall of the pool, beginning to swim away.

   "I don't think so." He said as he pulled her back. "You're not getting away from me that easily." He pulled her in close to him and wrapped his arms around her possessively. 

   "Yami, I just want to get out, I've been in here for a long time." She said to him as she swam over to the steps. Yami didn't bother to use the steps; he grabbed on to the side of the pool and lifted himself out of the water. When he got out, he picked up her robe, and held it out so she could slip into it. Securely enfolding it around her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and delicately kissed her neck, as they began to make their way to Yami's bed.

   "Stop," She chuckled, "Can't it wait until we get to the bed?"

   "No." He said as he picked her up in his strong arms and carried her the rest of the way.

Lightly laying her on the bed, he walked over to his dresser to pick out some dry clothes to put on. After he pulled them out, he undressed and dried off; getting a slight chill from the gentle wind that was blowing through the window. Throwing the towel to the floor, Yami made his way to the bed. Slowly he crawled onto the bed, and sat down next to where Athena was laying.

   "I suppose you found that funny huh?" He whispered to her as he leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly.  

   "Extremely." She chuckled. 

   "I told you I wasn't going to let you get away with that, and I mean it. One of these days…"

   "What are you going to do?" She said seductively.

   "Don't know yet. I'll figure it out." He told her as he moved closer.

   "Ok. But in the mean time…" She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for another sweet kiss. He rolled over on top of her and wrapped his arms around her, pushing deeper into the kiss. His muscular arms firmly held Athena close. So close he could feel the delicate rhythms of her heartbeat on his chest. Yami felt Athena wrap her legs around his waist, as she tangled her hands in his damp hair. That sinking feeling began to set into Yami again, as his thoughts began to go hazy. It was like this every time he was around her; he would never get sick of this feeling.

Athena was the first to break away, with a little grin on her face.

   "As much as I would love to continue…"

Yami just nodded, he could see her brilliant eyes began to drop. He was tired to. Reluctantly he let go of her and fell back onto his side of the bed. Since he entered the room today, he lost track of time, but he was sure that it was extremely late. Gently he shifted closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her protectively. Athena fell back into the embrace, contently snuggling into Yami's arms, fitting so perfectly.

Yami wondered how he had lasted this long without her. It seemed that they were destine to be together. 'Give up, she's changed you. There's no use in struggling anymore.' Said a voice deep inside his head. 'I know.' He answered. Yami shut his eyes, falling asleep, far happier then he had ever remembered being in a long time.

* * *

Yami awoke this morning, with his arms still wrapped protectively around Athena. She was so warm and soft, and she made him feel complete. He shifted slightly, moving closer to her, and pulling her into his chest with a firm hold. He didn't want to move from this spot, he never wanted to let her go. If he could have, he would have stayed there all day holding her, and drowning in the warmth that she projected. Delicately stroking her back with his fingers, he felt her move.

   "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He smiled at her.

   "Its ok." She whispered back, as she turned around in the bed, facing him. She placed a soft, sweet kiss on his lips, and she put her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He continued to run his fingers up and down her beautiful, tan back. The sensation sent chills up her spine. Yami had such a gentle touch. But the moment was too good to last. There was a soft knock on the door.

   "No, she can't make me get up." Yami groaned. He knew it was Bener, coming with her usual wake up call; a yell, followed by her ripping the sheets off him.

   "You're the Pharaoh, you have to get up." She told him.

   "Nope, I have to stay here with you." He smiled.

   "Good morning you two." Bener called as she opened the curtains to Yami's balcony, letting in the blinding Egyptian sunlight. "I didn't want to come and wake you Yami, but Seth forced me to. It seems that you have pressing matters to attend to." She turned around from the balcony and smiled at them. She was so happy to see Yami like this; it made her want to cry tears of joy. "Here's your breakfast," She handed Yami his usual tray of fruit, "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just brought a little bit of everything." Bener said as she handed a tray to Athena also.

   "Thank you Bener." Athena looked amazed. She knew that the Pharaoh was pampered, but she had no idea that he was waited on hand and foot. What shocked her more was the fact that Yami still seemed like a normal, down to earth guy. That's what she liked so much about him.

   "Did Seth tell you exactly why he wanted me to get up so bad?" Yami asked with a slightly annoyed tone. He knew he had to get up; he was Pharaoh. His day would most likely consist of listening to boring economic reports, and all that good stuff; much like he had done for the past three weeks. He groaned at the thought. Running Egypt was hard. Yami had never wanted to be anyone else, but now he would have given up everything, his title, all his riches, just to be with Athena.

   "No, he didn't say why, but I'm sure it's important." She chuckled. "Yami sometimes you act like an infant. Not a young man of 16."

Athena laughed at him.

   "What? Do you find that funny?" He asked her jokingly. She nodded her head, laughing harder.

   "Do you find everything to be funny?" He laughed, it was rare that Yami laughed; except when he was drunk. He loved how Athena made him laugh.

   "Depends." She answered shrugging her shoulders.

   "Well then, how about you go out there and run Egypt. You can listen to my council drone on about expenses and tributes, and I'll lie in bed all day, maybe I'll take a swim in the bath." He joked.

   "Ha ha Yami." She said sarcastically.

   "Sorry Yami, that's your job. While you do that, I'm going to show Athena around the palace, to make her feel more at home." Bener interrupted. Yami finished his food and idly slumped over to his dresser. Very slowly he picked out some clothes, gazing over at Athena every so often. Bener, sensing what Yami was trying to do, quickly scolded him. "Yami, hurry up!" She snapped. "Seth wants you down there now!"

With no argument Yami listened to her, and hastily pulled on his clothes. He walked over to the bed and gave Athena a gentle kiss on the cheek.

   "I'll be back," He whispered into her ear, "Enjoy yourself today."

   "I will." She whispered back. 

   "Out! Now! I have my orders!" Bener yelled at him as she scooted him out the bedroom and shut the door. 

He made his way down the corridor that led to the throne room, rubbing his temples, he got a headache just thinking about the long boring day that was ahead of him. He so desperately wished that he could have brought Athena with him. She would have made the day so much more bearable. If he wanted to, he could have, but he didn't want anyone to see them together. It was bad enough that Malik saw, let alone his entire council. Yami finally admitted to himself that he cared about her in some way, but admit it to someone else? Ra no.

 Continuing to walk, he approached the throne room doors. He pushed them open to see his entire council, along with Seth and Seto sitting and waiting for him. Upon his entrance, everyone in the room stood until Yami made his way to the throne and sat down.

   "You may sit." He said. Everyone resumed their positions as one man from the council remained standing and began to read the list of financial numbers.

Yami leaned his head in his hand. 'Boring.' He sighed. He may have been Pharaoh, but he was still only 16. He glanced over at Seto. Who looked just as bored as he did. As he looked at him, Yami remembered something that he had been meaning to do. It would just have to wait until this good for nothing council meeting was over though. 

* * * 

  "What would you like to do today?" Bener asked Athena, as she made the bed. Athena walked out of the bathing room drying her hair with a towel. She was dressed in the clothes that Bener had brought her yesterday. It was a beautiful tight, white linen dress, extremely comfortable.

   "I'm not really sure." She answered Bener. 

   "If you would like, I would be glad to show you around the palace."

   "I would love that! I haven't been out of this room in nearly two days. Plus, ever since I was little I always wished I could see the Pharaohs palace." Athena said. "I never imagined that I'd see his bedroom though." She added, blushing slightly. Bener looked at her and smiled.

   "You know, Yami hasn't been this happy in a long time. It's great to see you two like this." Bener could see what Yami liked so much about this girl. She was kind, and sweet. She had a joy and a light about her that the palace had not seen in years. It was quite a welcoming change. "Anyway, I can introduce you to all the servants. There are a couple of girls that are your age. I think that you will get along great with my grand daughter. Her name is Anzu."

   "Well then, what are we waiting for? Lets go!" Athena shouted as she followed Bener out of the room.

  Bener took her down the long passage ways as she showed her all the wonderful paintings and hieroglyphs that were on the walls. Neither one of them could read the words though; it was sacred writing, with magical properties, meant only for the Pharaoh and the priests. But by looking at the pictures they could see pretty much what the hieroglyphs described. Glorious Pharaohs, who had depicted their accomplishments and all the great things they contributed to Egypt.

  They made their way to the royal courtyard, which was centered in the interior of the enormous palace. There was no roof, so that the sun could shine in on the hundreds of plants that were growing in it. In the middle of the courtyard was a beautiful pond, where there were some servants girls doing laundry. 

   "Anzu!" Bener shouted. "Anzu come here!"

A tall dark haired girl turned around from washing clothes. Her brown eyes lit up.

   "Hey grand ma!" She yelled as she ran over to them, wrapping her arms around Bener. Bener kissed her forehead, as she brushed Anzu's dark brown bangs away from her eyes.

   "Athena, this is my grand daughter, Anzu." Bener said, with her arms still wrapped around the skinney girl.

   "Hi." Athena said shyly.

   "Hello," Anzu answered, looking puzzled. " Grand ma, who is this?" She asked. "Is she the new servant girl?"

   "No Anzu, this is Athena. She's a…uh…close friend of Pharaoh Yami." Bener told her.

   "Oh…OH!" Her eyes went wide as she looked at her grand ma in disbelief. "Really?" She turned to Athena, who by now was beat red.

   "I, guess." Athena muttered.

   "You seem real nice." Anzu told her.

   "Th…Thank you." Athena stuttered, turning redder, if that was possible.

   "Well. Athena, Anzu I have to go now. Lots of work to do. Anzu, introduce her to the other girls, make her feel welcome. I'm sure you two will have something to talk about." Bener sighed, as she walked off.

   "So…" Anzu didn't quite know what to say.

   "Yea…" Neither did Athena.

   "How did you and Yami become friends?" Anzu found herself asking.

   "Funny story." Athena smiled. "We met about four days ago. I was tied to his bed." They began to walk around the courtyard. 

   "What?!" Anzu looked stunned. 

   "Yea. Priest Seto wanted to give me and my two friends to Yami as a gift."

   "So…so you're just a pleasure slave?" Anzu looked ashamed. Pleasure slaves were the lowest of all beings, put on this earth for one purpose, to be the plaything of the Pharaoh. He could do what ever he wanted to them, and then when he was satisfied, he could merely throw them away as if they were a toy. But she never imagined Yami to be that kind of man.

   "No. It started out that way, but he let us go. I was so scared; scared of what he would do, how he would treat us, I never imagined that he could be so kind, or that he would ever let us go."

   "If he let you go, how comes your still here?" Anzu asked, still looking extremely puzzled.

   "Well, we did leave. We found a nice room at a tavern in Thebes. I was only there for one night though. When I was coming down to get dinner I saw Yami there. He came over to me, and invited us back to the palace. My friends said no, but I…"

   "Said yes." Anzu finished her sentence. She could see too what her grandmother saw. There was something special about this girl.

   "Yea." Athena smiled. "Anzu, can I ask you something?"

   "Sure."

   "What do you do when you care about someone so deeply, but you desperately don't want to?" She asked, her voice faltering slightly. Anzu stopped walking and turned to Athena looking her right in her olive eyes.

   "You can't choose who you care about… or who you love. All you can do is accept it, embrace it." Anzu spoke like she had experienced love before. "You wont know how it'll turn out, but you can live each day like it is your last, or…you might never get the chance to say what you wanted, or to do what you wanted." Athena saw a tear run down the girls' cheek.

   "Anzu."

Anzu wiped her tear away and gave a weak smile to Athena.

   "You can't hide it from me Athena, I can tell by the way you talk about him. You care; you're just scared to admit it."

Even though Athena only knew Anzu for ten minuets, she felt as if Anzu had known her forever. That was exactly how she felt, she did care about Yami, but for fear of getting hurt she didn't want to admit it.

   "Anzu, thank you." She choked. 

   "Your welcome, Athena."

The girls continued to walk and talk, late into the afternoon, becoming closer and closer with each passing minuet. They shared many stories of their childhood's to one another, Anzu told Athena about where she used to live before she and her grandmother became servants.

   "We had a nice little house on the outskirts of Thebes." Anzu told her. "I had the three best friends a girl could ever have." She said, smiling at the sweet memories.

   "Who were they?" Athena asked her.

   "Well, there was Jounouchi." She said as she giggled. "He was such a child, never taking anything seriously. But he always made me laugh, there was never a dull moment with him around.

   "He sounds nice." Athena smiled.

   "Yea. And then there was Honda. He was more on the serious side. He would have done anything for his family and us. He cared so deeply for anyone that he knew. Him and Jounouchi were real close friends. They kind of balanced each other out. Honda made Jounouchi work, and in return, Jounouchi gave Honda a sense of humor." She paused.

   "And what about the third one?" Athena questioned.

   "Yugi…" Anzu whispered as she put her hand over her heart.

   "Yugi?" Athena repeated. 

   "Yugi was a small boy, with a big heart. He cared too much for other people, including his grandfather." She sighed.

   "What do you mean?" Athena questioned.

   "Do you remember the plague that swept through Egypt three months ago?" Anzu asked her.

   "Yes." Athena knew it all to well. It had claimed the life of her parents, and the parents of her two best friends.

   "Yugi's grandfather caught that disease. And for weeks on end he stayed by his grandfather's side, never leaving. Sometimes he would stay up all night and cry. Many times Honda and Jounouchi tried to pry him away from his dying grandfather. They told him that he was only killing himself. I was scared, I had never seen Jounouchi so serious before. After a month Yugi's grandfather died, and Yugi… he couldn't take it. But the plague caught up to him. His body was weak; he hadn't gotten any sleep in days. So it was my turn. I stayed by his side until the end. But by the end he was so unrecognizable, his frail body had wasted away to nothing, frequently he would scream out in agony, it was almost to unbearable to watch, to know that there was nothing I could do to ease the pain." Anzu had tears pouring down her face. "Two weeks after his grandfather died, Yugi too had gone to join the gods. He died in my arms; I never wanted to let go. Jounouchi and Honda had to pry me away from his dead body. We gave him a proper burial, along side his grandfather, which is where he would have wanted to be."

   "Anzu… I understand. Both my parents were killed by the plague. My two friends and me stuck together, until all this happened. I never in a thousand years would have dreamed of being here. But, I'm glad I am." She forced a small smile on her face as she hugged Anzu. 

From that moment on, Athena and Anzu became close friends.


	4. Love?

Don't own Yu Gi Oh.

*Love?*

The council meeting was almost over. It had droned on for hours.

Yami was in a daze, he kept on thinking about other things. 'I wonder what Athena's up to.' He smiled; even the thought of her was enough to brighten up his day. 'You fool, what has she done to you?' Yami just ignored that voice inside his head that contradicted everything he thought about Athena.

   "The last topic we need to discuss is the temple to Amun." Seth said. Yami snapped out of his dreamlike state and listened. This was mildly interesting. He could also see Seto perk up, after all, this was his department.

   "What about it?" Yami questioned.

   "High priest Seto is still in need of an apprentice." Seth told him. No he wasn't didn't Seto tell him yesterday… But then Yami remembered how drunk Seto was. He didn't get out of bed all day, much less tell Seth that he had a new apprentice.

   "Seth, sorry to belay the notification but we've found an apprentice already. His name is Bakura." Yami told him. But Seth had a look of skepticism on his face.

   "Don't worry, he's been trained, I approved of him myself." He said.

   "Yes that's true." Seto added.

   "Very well then. Meeting adjourned." Seth announced.

 'Finally!' Yami shouted in his head. Now, to do what he had been meaning to do.

   "Seto," He called over to him, "Follow me." Yami said as he motioned for him to follow. Seto did as he was told and he followed Yami to an empty room. Yami closed the door behind them.

   "Seto, have you ever heard the myth of a mystical place where unimaginable power exists?" He questioned, his eyes glowing.

   "Yes, Seth told us about it when he was training us to become priests. He told us of horrible monsters that live in that place, monsters so powerful, that if they were unleashed they could destroy the entire world." Seto said sounding very interested in that place.

   "He's right. That place is called the shadow realm. Terrible monsters do exist there, but there are good ones too. And they are all under my control. For it is my job as Pharaoh to keep the peace, in both worlds. But such a task is impossible, even with my immense power. That is why three other people can gain access to the shadow realm. The three people of my choosing. Only the people that I trust the most, can I give the power to open the shadow realm. So far, I have given the power to two. One is Seth, and the other I can not mention, that person is a safe guard, not even Seth knows who I picked. Seto, as my high priest, I am giving my last spot to you. However, you can only open the shadow realm in emergencies, and I suggest that you not go there without me. I am the only one that the monsters will obey."

   Seto merely nodded. This was a lot to take in. Yami was about to give him more power then he ever imagined having. 

   "Thank you Yami. I am honored to be given such a privilege." Seto stuttered.

   "Seto, this is not just a privilege, this is a responsibility, that should not be taken lightly. In the event that something should happen to me, fate would rest in your hands. It would be your job, along with Seth and the other person, to keep Egypt safe, as well as the rest of the world. Seto, you can't imagine the horror and hell that if unleashed these monsters could bring upon the world."  Yami looked Seto in his icy blue eyes, as if daring Seto to take on the challenge. 

   "Yami, I accept this position with a humble heart." Seto told him. 

   "Good then. I have to take you there right now. My magical powers are limited in this realm, and I don't have enough power to give you the position here." With that Yami closed his eyes, and began to mutter an ancient spell, something that Seto could not understand, but he looked around the room as their surroundings began to fade, everything was turning black. Seto felt cold, inside and out. Black clouds surrounded them, and in the distance Seto could see purple lightning flashes.

   "Yami is this…"

   "Yes it's the shadow realm."

Seto looked around, with slight fear. The place seemed to run on forever, with no beginning or end. Seto looked up to see a man with purple armor descending from the clouds. 

   "Dark Magician, this is my high priest Seto." Yami said, completely unfazed by the tall purple haired man standing in front of him.  

   "Is he the last one Pharaoh?" The Mage asked.

   "Yes, I came to give him the power." Yami answered him. Yami turned to see a perplexed looking Seto. "Seto this is the Dark Magician, the most powerful of all the inhabitants of the shadow realm. He watches over things for me when I am gone. We share the same mystical powers, he is loyal to me and to me only. I trust him with my life." He proceeded to fill Seto in.

   "Pharaoh, your staff." The Magician said as he handed Yami a long purple staff.  It was the scepter of the Dark Magician, the most powerful magical object in the world. Yami conjured up a ball of white light, and then he turned to Seto.

   "Don't be scared." Yami said to him as he moved closer to Seto, who by now was extremely intimidated.

   "Yami what…" But before Seto could finish his sentence, Yami had forced the ball of light into Seto's chest. The pain was almost unbearable as Seto fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Breathing heavily, Seto looked up at Yami, sweat dripping down his face.

   "What was that?" He asked harshly.

   "That was the power to open the shadow realm. I never said it was going to be easy Seto." Yami said as he helped his shaken priest stand to his feet.

   "Here is the scepter back." Yami said as he handed the staff to the Dark Magician. "By the way, how are things here in the shadow realm?"

   "Under control. Just the other day a whole pack of Kuribo's asked to join the forces that are guarding the three gods." The Mage told him.

   "Separately, those Kuribo can't stand up to much, but in a pack they're pretty strong." Yami said, as Seto still looked confused.

   "Yes my Pharaoh, but the Kuribo aren't the only ones guarding the three gods. I've got two blue eyes white dragons, a red eyes black dragon, and even Exodia has offered to help." The Mage informed him.

   "That's good. The last thing we need is for the gods to escape and reek havoc on Egypt. We must be getting back to the mortal realm now Dark Magician, I can see that Seto's energy is already beginning to drain." Yami told him as he turned to Seto, who looked like he was about to pass out.

   "Good bye Pharaoh." The Magician said as he faded into the darkness.

 Yami picked up Seto and held him until they were out of the shadow realm. The room they were in began materializing around them, and light was coming through the darkness.

   "Seto, are you ok?" Yami asked, sitting Seto on a chair.

   "Yea, I think so," He mumbled rubbing his head, "Why do I feel this weak?"

   "You still have limited powers, the shadow realm is a harsh place to be for somebody whose spirit is not yet strong enough. It will take some time before you are able to go in without feeling weak." Yami told him.

   "How…how are you able to do it?" Seto questioned.

   "I am Pharaoh, I have the strength, and the magical powers needed to control the shadow realm, I am a Dark Magician of sorts. Even though I have the powers, I try not to use them outside of the shadow realm, it tends to freak people out." He laughed.

   "I see." Seto stated. 

   "I'm going to head to my chambers, it's been a long day. Oh, by the way, have you seen Malik or Bakura? I haven't seen them all day." Yami had a pretty good idea of where they were though.

   "I think they went back down to the tavern." Seto smirked, 'I wish I did to.' He thought, for he had thoroughly enjoyed himself that night.

   "Oh, figures." But Yami was to tired to get mad at them. He just walked out of the room and ventured down the hallways to his chambers. Walking in, he didn't find Athena, so he flopped down on his bed, utterly exhausted. 'She must be having fun.' He smiled. He wondered how a normal, ordinary girl could make him feel this way. How she could just smile at him and make him melt like butter. How her gentle touch could send his body to nirvana, and how her delicate lips could quench his thirst while at the same time leave him yearning for more. But then again, she was no ordinary girl. 

* * *

It wasn't until the sun began to set that the girls walked out of the courtyard and back into the palace. Anzu walked Athena to Yami's chamber doors before she said her good-byes.

   "Anzu wait," Athena called to her, Anzu turned around.

   "Yes?"

   "It was him wasn't it?" Athena asked her.

   "Who? I'm not quite sure what you're talking about Athena." Anzu looked at her, raising her eyebrows curiously.

   "When you told me about love, and you told me to live each day like it was my last. You were talking about him weren't you?"

   "I…still don't know what you're talking about." But she did.

   "It was Yugi wasn't it? Anzu, you were in love with him weren't you?" Athena could see Anzu fighting to hold back the tears, but the pain in her heart was too great and she flung her arms around Athena sobbing into her shoulder.

   "Yes, yes," She said through her muffled sobs, "I loved him, I loved him with all my heart. How could I not? But fate has a funny way of playing with people. I died with him that day, I'll never be able to love again, he meant to much to me, we planned on being with each other for a long time."

   "But Anzu, you do love! You've still got Honda, and Jounouchi, and you've got your grand mother, Bener." Athena said trying to hold back her own tears. She couldn't comfort Anzu if she too was in anguish.

   "I know, but Honda and Jounouchi, they are close friends, I care about them, and to an extent I love them, but its not the same, I have a different kind of love for them and my grand ma."

   "Shhh. Shhh. Its ok," Athena stroked her back soothingly. "Anzu, I know you will be able to love again, it just takes time."

But she was telling herself that as much as she was telling Anzu.

   "Athena, thank you." Said the brunette as she lifted her head up and looked at Athena.

   "No Anzu, thank you, you made me realize something today." Athena told her. "I'm going to head in now, I'll talk to you later." She said as she gave Anzu one final hug.

   "Good night Athena." Anzu walked down the hall and out of sight. 

Athena opened the doors and slid quietly into Yami's room. She saw the Pharaoh lying on the bed asleep. Walking over to him, she softly slipped under the sheets, crying inwardly. The poor girl had no idea what to do, how could she tell him what she felt? She would feel so foolish, she was smitten. But he wouldn't have to know that, not yet. Startled, she felt Yami move. So she turned around to see Yami with his eyes half open.

   "I see you've finally decided to come to bed." He smiled at her as he wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her in close. Yami loved holding her, he loved feeling her body against his, and they fit together so perfectly.

   "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She said apologetically.

   "Don't worry about it, I'm glad you did. I needed to see you before I go to sleep." He delicately began to kiss her neck. "What did you do today?" He asked in between kisses.

   "Well, Bener showed me around the palace, and she introduced me to Anzu." She told him, closing her eyes as she basked in the cool contact of Yami's lips on her neck.

   "Bener's grand daughter?"

   "Yes, she's real nice." Athena said. "Yami I…" Her voice faltered.

   "What is it?" He asked sounding concerned. He sat up a little bit stroking her soft cheek with his hand.

   "I don't know how to say this. Anzu and I were talking today, and she made me realize something. Well actually, it was something that I've known from the start…" 'No, I cant do this.' But she continued on any way. Yami, sensing her distress firmly hugged her to his chest. He hated seeing her in pain.

   "If you don't want to say it you don't have to." He said soothingly, running his fingers through her soft black hair. All of a sudden he felt something cool and wet hit his chest. Athena was crying. "Athena, what's wrong?" He was thoroughly concerned now, something he had never felt for another person. He felt a sharp jolt in his heart. Was this what he thought it was? 'Please Ra no.' His breathing was heavy now, this feeling scared him; he could only imagine what it was.

   "Yami I don't know what it was that she said today, but I have to tell you this…I…care about you." This was partly true. There was so much more that she wanted to say, but she didn't know how. For now, telling him that she "cared" about him was the best she could do. Yami's eyes shot open, he inwardly admitted to caring about her, but he had no idea that she felt the same way. It made his heart jump again, but this time it wasn't so much of a painful jolt; this one made him feel, what's the word…

   "Athena…I didn't know, I mean, if I did, I would have told you this long ago. I care too." He said before he could stop himself. 'More then you know.' That made Athena smile, and seeing her smile, Yami smiled too. She rested her head on Yami's chest again; now she was content…sort of. Her feelings went so much deeper then the word "care", but at this point "care" was the only word that she could bring herself to say.

   "Never leave me." He half pleaded to her as he held her closer to himself. He couldn't bare the thought of her leaving him.

   "I won't." She promised, as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

But Yami was wide-awake drowning in his thoughts.

Ever since he laid eyes on Athena emotions surged from him, emotions that he desperately tried to suppress. But it was no use any more; those feelings took him over, drowning him, until he was nearly dead. How could a girl cause this much turmoil in his soul? Suchlike he had never felt before. Everything that she was making him feel, even though he didn't know it could be summed up with one word. Love.


	5. Giving Up

I don't own anything Yu Gi Oh…just thought you aught to know…

*Giving Up*

Snuggled up close in his large bed, Pharaoh Yami smiled. Athena was wrapped up securely in his strong arms, enjoying the warmth that Yami projected. She always felt complete when Yami they were together.

   She had been at the palace a little over three months now, spending her days talking to Anzu, who was constantly being scolded by Bener for not doing her work. While Yami on the other hand, was not having quite as much fun. His days were spent in the throne room, long tedious days of judging people; which he hated doing by the way; and going over financial reports. He was busy preparing for the opening of the great temple to Amun, which by now was only days away and he had little time to spend with Athena, but those few precious nights were not wasted, for sure. They had, however, become very close over the few months that Athena was there. They openly admitted that they cared about each other, but neither one told anybody else. Seldom were they ever seen together, mostly due to the fact that Yami was so busy, but partly because they were afraid to admit their feelings to other people. The thought still horrified Yami. Athena too, was worried about what people might think if they saw her with the Pharaoh.

   "Did you have fun yesterday?" She inquired, jokingly, she knew that his day must have been hell, because he was out of bed before she woke up, and she didn't here him come in last night.

   "Tons of fun, I went over what I'm supposed to say at the dedication ceremony tomorrow."

   "Dedication ceremony? For what?" She asked, as she rested her head on his chest. Her soft hair tickled his chin.

   "For the reopening of the temple to Amun, I have to go down there and join the celebration." He said, not sounding all that enthused.

   "Oh…" She sighed, sounding disappointed, she supposed that it was going to be another lonely night for her. She felt so desolate when Yami wasn't there at night to hold her. When he was there, her world was complete. But lately, that wasn't the case. 'Oh well.' She shrugged it off. She could always watch the festivities from the balcony…  

   "Don't worry," He said, sensing her disappointment, "I don't plan on staying long." But truth be told, he wanted to invite her to the ceremony, he just didn't know how to ask her. Plus the fact that the whole city was going to be there, maybe it wasn't the best idea.

"Besides, there's no where I have to be for the rest of the day." He whispered to her, snuggling closer. "We can stay in bed all day if you want. And if anyone comes in, I'll sentence them to death." He joked, but he was almost being serious. He was not about to be disturbed today, the one day he had off in months. Nope, he had been looking forward to this day for a long time. It was the only day since Athena had been at the palace that they were going to get to be together all day. Slowly closing his eyes, Yami was about to fall back asleep, when he felt lips hit his chest. The initial contact was cool and refreshing, sending his skin tingling. Athena had her ways of making Yami feel light as air, and her supple lips were one of them. All she had to do was put her lips upon his skin, and he would do anything for her, if she asked. He opened his eyes slightly and looked down at her. She was gorgeous, the perfect picture of innocence, as her big brilliant jade orbs looked up at him, he pulled her face up to his and clamped his lips on hers in a heated kiss. These sparse moments when they were alone is what kept Yami alive, for he felt that he would die if he were never able to kiss her. He loved her lips; they were so soft and inviting. Whenever he pulled away from them, he was like a whimpering child, he needed more, and more is what he got. She constantly teased his lips, giving him all she had, then pulling away leaving him begging inwardly for more. It was like being in hell while getting a taste of heaven. Sheer bliss.

Slowly pulling away from the kiss, Yami had made up his mind. He was going to ask her to that temple ceremony, even if it killed him, but he was going to have to swallow his pride and do the thing he dreaded the most. Ask Malik for help. See, Yami didn't quite know how to go about asking her, because he had never been in this situation before, in fact, most of his life was spent trying to keep himself from getting here in the first place. But it was too late for that now. Malik, being the lady's man that he was, would surly be able to help him. But Yami's thoughts were interrupted by a soft giggle.

   "What's your problem? You look so serious." She chuckled. "Thinking about something important?"

   "No, nothing." He quickly said. 'Damn, that was close.' "So what would you like to do today?" Yami was trying to change the subject.

   "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps… stay in bed." She lowered her voice while trying to glare at him. She looked simply delectable trying to glare.

   "Fine with me." Yami simply said as he put his hands behind his head and relaxed. He had all day to be with her before he had to go and talk to Malik, so he tried to savor the moment, and not think about what was to come later. It worked; how could it not? She made him forget everything sometimes, even who he was. So snuggling up close together, they went back to sleep, enjoying each other's company, which is something they rarely got to do. 

* * *

 Sometime later there was a soft rap on the door. Quietly Athena slipped out from the others warm arms, only to have him pull her back.

   "No, you can leave. I wont let you." He stated simply as Athena glared at him. "Your too comfortable to let go." And he was being perfectly honest.

   "Yami, there's someone at the door." She whispered.

   "I don't care, if you don't answer it they'll leave eventually." 

   "Yami." She scolded. And she got up from the bed, leaving Yami hugging nothing but air. Slowly pushing open the doors Athena saw Anzu.

   "Anzu, what do you want?" Athena whispered quietly.

   "You told me to come get you today remember? To go swimming in the courtyard?" Anzu whispered back.

   "Oh no. I completely forgot!"

   "I can see why…" Anzu giggled as she looked over Athena's shoulder to see Yami, who by now was sitting up on the bed.

   "Oh, hush up." Athena said, blushing. "Well I'll talk to him, but I don't know how much good it's going to do. Wait here." She said as she closed the door.

   "Yami…" She turned from the door, her big green eyes bubbling. "The girls and I… well we wanted to go swimming today and…"

   "Go ahead." He said with a smile, after all, there was something he had to do as well…

   "Huh, really?" That was much easier then she thought. "Thank you, thank you!" She rushed over to the bed and jumped on him, knocking him over, planting a nice sweet kiss on his lips as she wrapped her arms around him. "I promise I'll make it up to you." She said, pulling away slowly. Hopping off the bed, she ran over to the bathing room and quickly put on a simple white linen dress to go swimming in. "I won't be long." She told him as she opened the doors and walked out.

   "Take all the time you want." He whispered to himself. He didn't know how long it would take for him to talk to Malik.

   "What did you say to him?" Anzu asked Athena as they started off to the courtyard.

   "I just asked him if I could come, that's all." She replied.

   "That's all? Girl, I don't know what powers the gods gave you, but you sure do have a way with him." She sniggered. 

   "Anzu." Athena said warningly.

   "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." She smiled as she waved her hands. Laughing, they made their way to the courtyard to meet the other girls. 

* * *

For quite sometime Yami paced around his room. He was so nervous about going to Malik for help. Not that he was to egotistical to ask for it, it's just that, well, the subject that he needed help with. Never in a thousand years did he ever imagine that he would be asking Malik for help with a girl. 'Oh well.' It was time for him to swallow his pride as he marched out of his chambers and down the hallway to Malik's room. When he arrived at Malik's room he slowly opened the door. Malik was across the room, standing out on his balcony. He turned when he heard his doors open, and a smile lit up his handsome face.

   "Yami, long time no see." He beckoned Yami closer. "I was just looking out at the temple. It looks real nice."

   "Yea." Yami sighed as he walked out onto the balcony. "So where has Bakura been? I haven't hardly seen him at all in the past month." Yami, tried to start a conversation, only delaying the inevitable.

   "Oh he's cooped up in the temple, him and Seto both. They're so damn nervous about tomorrow. It's kind of funny actually." Malik said with a chuckle.

   "Yea well, there not the only ones." Yami whispered.

   "What's this? The great Pharaoh Yami is scared to dedicate a temple?!" Malik said cynically.

   "No I'm not! It's not that it's…well." He stopped. 'How am I going to do this?'

   "Mm hmm. I know what it is." Malik smiled, he had a gleam in his eye. "So you've finally decided to show her off in public eh?"

   "That's not it at all Malik!" Yami growled. But Malik just waved away his comment as if it were nothing.

   "If I were her I would be starting to think that you were ashamed of me. After all, I never see you guys together." Malik told him. "You haven't even told me her name and I'm your best friend!"

   "Ok Malik. You win. I've come to ask for a favor." Yami stuttered. 

   "Mm hmm, go on." Malik was loving every minute of this, as he absentmindedly twiddled a piece of his long whitish hair in-between his fingers.

   "I…need you to help me ask her to the dedication ceremony." He mumbled.

   "Oh…I…suppose I can help, what's in it for me?" Malik snickered. But Yami had lost his patients.

   "If you value your life at all you'll help me Malik." Yami roared, as he pinned Malik against the balcony.

   "What are you going to do, kill me?" Malik growled.

   "Don't tempt me." Yami shot back.

   "Fine, fine. I'll help you. But will you please let me go?" 

Yami was so frustrated that he didn't realize how tight he was holding Malik.

   "Why do I put up with you Malik?" He said as he rubbed his temples. Many things gave Yami a headache, and Malik was one of them.

   "Because you love me…Ouch!"

Yami had smacked him upside the head.

   "You know, I think the question is, why do I put up with you smacking me around all the time?" Malik said, rubbing the back of his head.

   "Because you've nothing better to do." Yami laughed. He loved how Malik and him could always joke around with each other; he never really meant what he said about killing him. Malik was used to the threats by now. In fact, it wasn't a day unless Yami had threatened to kill him at least three times.

   "Well then, if I've nothing better to do then get slapped around by you, I don't suppose I can help you either." Malik said as he crossed his arms and stuck up his nose, but one look at Yami quickly made him retract his previous statement. Yami was glaring daggers at him.

   "If you don't help me… I'll take you to the shadow realm and feed you to Osiris!" He snapped.

   "Ok…ok, I was just kidding!" Malik quickly said. "So what is it exactly that you need my help with again?" In the midst of their arguing, Malik had completely forgot what Yami wanted.

   "I…I need you to help me ask her to the dedication ceremony, but more then that. I also want to apologize to her."

   "For what?" Malik inquired, apology was never heard of when it came to the Pharaoh. He never apologized to anyone; it was completely beneath him. This made Malik wonder…

   "Well you were right about what you said earlier, I haven't been bringing her out in public. Not because I'm ashamed of her, I'm ashamed of what people might think of me, and I think she realizes that. So I wanted to apologize for any hurt that I may have caused her." Yami was turning red.

   "Oh…I see…" Malik said as he scratched his forehead. "Well, firsts things first, you have to tell her how you feel." 

   "Ok." That wouldn't be to hard, he already admitted that he cared about her.

   "How you really feel." Malik added, noting the look on Yami's face.

   'Damn, how'd I know that was coming?' He thought. "Uhh…"

   "Yami…" Malik tisked. "You know, you'll have to do it sometime. Better now then never."

   Well…what if there's nothing to say, huh? What if I have no feelings, what then?" He was trying to make himself believe that, but it was no use. He turned his gaze away from Malik, and stared out at the city, hoping to try and hide the expression on his face. But Malik didn't have to see his best friend's face to know what the other was thinking; he could hear it in Yami's voice.

   "Yami, you're lying to me. And to yourself…and to her."

It was the last words that stung Yami's heart the most. He was lying to her, from the moment he met her he was lying to her, she had never known the truth about how much he cared…or why he couldn't tell her.

   "So…what am I supposed to do then? Tell her everything? Pour out my soul, so she can sit back and laugh at me? Make myself look like a complete fool?" He yelled. "Is that what I'm supposed to do!?" Yami clenched his fists together and slammed them hard against the marble railing. Malik walked closer to Yami, only to be pushed away with an unmistakable force. Stumbling back, he proceeded to talk to Yami, hoping that something would get through that stubborn mind of his.

   "Yami look, nothing will ever change if you keep pushing people away, I'll tell you again what I told you months ago, you have no idea what it could feel like to care about someone, because you don't want to know!"  

   "You're wrong Malik, horribly wrong." Yami said hoarsely.

   "I am?" He questioned, but then the light in his head turned on and he narrowed his eyes, he was going to make Yami confess out loud, what he already knew. "What do you mean, I'm wrong. I'm never wrong! You don't care about anyone, not me, not Bener… and not the girl."  

Yami couldn't take it any more, the pressure had built up long enough, with his fists still clenched, he turned abruptly and faced Malik.

   "You have no idea how much I like…care about this girl. I care so much it scares me. Every minute that I'm away from her seems like an eternity, this is a new feeling for me, and I never thought that such a heartless being like me would ever be able to care so deeply for someone like her. She's everything I'm not, she loves, she has joy and hope she is a ball of light, brighter then the sun…she has a heart. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve her, like the only thing I'm doing is dragging her down, no, she deserves someone that can love her. And that person isn't me."

   Malik stared open mouthed at his suffering friend, he didn't expect to hear all that.

   "Yami listen to yourself, everything that you just said, your describing a feeling that you don't think you have, but you do have it. She's changed you, no point in denying it; everyone in the palace can see a difference in you. From the way you walk, and the way you talk to people, it always seems like you've got something else on your mind. You don't have to admit it to me, but one of these days, you're going to have to tell her-" 

   "I told you before! I already told her that I care about her! By Ra, what more do you want!"

   "Yami, you know that's not what I mean." Malik shot him a side ways glance. Why did Yami have to make this so hard?

   "Yes I know what you mean! But I can't do that."

   "And just why not?" Malik asked.

   "Because…I don't have those feelings." He lied.

   "Mm hmm…" Malik began tapping his fingernails on the marble railing, he was really becoming impatient with Yami. "Well then, I'll help you as much as I can, but it's up to you to do the rest."  

   "Malik, tell me something. How is it that you know so much about this subject? As long as I've known you, I've never actually seen you with one particular girl."  

Malik's eyes widened.

   "What can I say? I'm just gifted." He shrugged and gave Yami a reassuring pat on the back as he smiled at him. "Trust me."

   "Oh I do, that's why I came to you."

   "Stop…your making me blush." Malik joked. "Anyway, about the girl. It has to be really special. Come on, let's go to your room and I'll show you what I mean."

Yami followed Malik out the door and down the hallway to his room with a stumped look on his face.

* * * 

Soaking wet, the two girls made their way from the courtyard into the palace, laughing rather loudly, which is something they tended to do a lot when they were together. Athena had stayed with Anzu today far longer then she had initially intended, and she quickly wanted to get back to Yami, after all, she promised him that she wouldn't be long. She hoped that he wouldn't be mad at her. When they reached the hallway's that divided the servants quarters from the palace nobles they hugged each other and said their good-byes. Swiftly, Athena whipped around and made her way down the left corridor, past all the rooms of the Pharaoh's council members, making the long trek to Yami's chambers. On the way, she passed so many beautiful, ornate columns that rose to touch the ceiling, casting eerie shadows along the torch lit hallway; they were glistening colonnades painted red and blue, with the image of a half-open lotus flower at the top. The lotus signified everything that was Egypt, beauty, and tenderness, it was a symbol of the never dying vitality of the living god; the Pharaoh. Even though she had been at the palace a little over three months, she was still in awe at the amazing splendor of this royal residence.  Sometimes inwardly she would be ashamed of herself for living in this regal splendor, while her two friends were stuck in a tiny room at an inn  in Thebes. Shaking her uneasy feelings away, she found herself quickly approaching Yami's chamber doors. Quietly she put her ear to the door and listened; no sound. Maybe he was asleep, but now her guilt was beginning to set in. She promised him that she wouldn't be long, but she was gone all day. Athena was hoping to make it up to him tonight. With a depressing sigh she opened the door, her eyes went wide as she briefly glimpsed upon a candle lit room but she was suddenly cast into darkness as she felt two strong hands wrap around her eyes. Startled at first, she quickly recognized the two soft warm hands that were upon her face.

   "Yami, what is this? What are you doing?" She questioned; rather coyly as she lifted up her hands and placed them on his.

   "Shhh… just follow me." He whispered as he slowly led her through the bedroom. She still couldn't see what he was doing, but she smiled. 'What's he up to?' she wondered, but whatever it was, she couldn't wait to find out. All of a sudden a wonderful smell filled her nose, the ever-familiar smell of lotus and oils. They were in the bathing room.

   "Yami what-"

But before she could finish, he removed his hands from her eyes and gently began to kiss the soft supple skin of her neck. The spot that always made her melt in his hands. She closed her eyes, falling back into each tender impact. Without warning, he began to remove his shirt as Athena opened her eyes, gazing at a living God, Yami was perfect, from his piercing crimson eyes, to his strong, but lean muscular form, and his amazing multi colored hair, with his blonde bangs always covering those eyes. A smile, more like a smirk spread across her face, the idea of pushing him into the pool ran through her mind, but she decided against it, once was enough. Yami, however, noticed the smile playing across her face; he had his own ideas and unexpectedly grabbed hold of Athena's arms, and threw her into the pool, completely ruining the moment. Looking down at Athena, who was just immerging from under the water he folded his arms with a condescending look on his face.

   "What was that for!?" She asked, rather out of breath.

   "I told you I'd get you back." He stated smugly, as he sat down on the edge of the pool and stuck his feet in the water.

   "For what-"She stopped her question as she swam over to him; the weight of her wet clothes weighing her down a little. "Ooh. I remember. Ha ha Yami."

She swam to him and planted a sweet soft kiss on his lips as he leaned down from where he was sitting and kissed her back, however, this time, he had no intention of letting her pull him in. Instead, he stood up and turned around walking over to a little shelf that held most of the exotic sweet smelling oils. Sifting through them, he found what he was looking for as he dipped his fingers into the jar and brought them up to his nose, sniffing the sweet smell that the liquid exuded. Turning back around, he noticed Athena still sitting in the bath with a puzzled look on her face.

   "Don't worry." He comforted. "I promise you'll enjoy this."

A sexy smile slid across her face as she slowly nodded her approval. Walking back across the room, Yami never took his eyes off her. She was so beautiful, so picturesque. He was still inwardly insecure; he still felt as if he didn't deserve her, she was an angel sent from the Gods, he was sure of that.

 Shaking his unease away, he sat down on the edge of the bath again and motioned for Athena to come to him. She did so; never taking her gleaming emerald eyes off the shirtless god that was sitting before her. Her nerves were almost intolerable, and it caused her to shiver slightly. Many times she wondered why a godly Pharaoh like Yami would want a mere commoner like her. It always caused her to be slightly embarrassed. Every time they touched, every time they kissed, even though her mind went blank and her carnal sensations went through the roof, the thought of him leaving her, or not wanting her always crept up in the back of her mind, stinging her where it hurt the most; her heart. This was something that she promised herself she would never tell him. When she swam up to him she reached up and planted a light kiss on his lips, her body, dripping wet, brushed up against his own causing Yami to shudder at the sudden heavenly wet contact. She was going to ignore that feeling, like she did every time, and just enjoy being with Yami tonight; a privilege that wasn't often had lately. Slowly sinking back into the water she smiled coyly at him.

   "Have you ever had a massage with the finest imported oils?" He asked her as she turned around and settled in between his legs.

   "Nope, I've never even had a massage, let alone with the finest oils…But I cant wait to see what it feels like." She turned her head to him and eyed him seductively while lowering her top so that her back was bare.

Yami's breath caught in his throat, he didn't know why he had these feelings for her but he was just going to have to accept them. He poured some of the fragrant oil into the palm of his hand and rubbed them together to spread the oil. Gradually he moved his hands to her back. 'Why am I so nervous?' He inwardly asked himself. Yami had never been nervous about anything before. Not about becoming Pharaoh, not about talking in front of multitudes of people, and not even about going to war. It was just something that he was always taught, that nerves were for the common people, not the Pharaoh. So why now? Why was he so nervous about one girl? Especially since the fact that he promised himself that he would never go this far, that he would never care about someone like this. But it was too late to scold himself for falling for this girl, he was already enthralled by her, completely under her spell. Besides, all he had to do was ask her to go to the dedication ceremony. How hard could that be?

    Continuing to massage her smooth back he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Athena, noticing Yami's unusual tenseness turned to him and put a comforting hand to his cheek.

   "Is there something you're not telling me?" She asked tranquilly. Her eyes glowing with concern.

   "Nope, no everything's fine, why?" He tried to sound as normal as possible, but a hint of unease still shone through his mighty façade.

   "I was just wondering, you sound a little worried about something." She smiled "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were nervous about the dedication ceremony."  She looked at him as he continued to massage her back.

   "Your right." He stammered. "I am nervous about tomorrow. But not for the reason you're thinking of."

   "Well then, if it's not what I'm thinking of what is it?"

   "Athena I… well… I was wondering if maybe you would like to join me for the festivities tomorrow." He said rather fast, as he turned and looked away. "You don't have to if you don't want to." He added, feeling extremely uncomfortable at the lengthy silence.

   Athena was in complete shock. 'Did he just ask me to go to the temple ceremony with him? No way!!'

   "Yami I…of course I'll go." She found it hard to talk. Athena never dreamed that Yami would ever ask her to go out in public. Did this mean something? Naah. He was just being nice. "But, I have a slight problem." She added.

   "What's that." He said with a smile. Now a great burden was lifted off his chest.

   "Well, I have nothing to wear for such an occasion."

   "That will be taken care of. I have servants making clothes for you now. It will be the finest linen garb that you have ever seen. And, I have a little surprise for you."

   Athena was beaming with delight. Right now, she was living every Egyptian girl's dream. Living in a beautiful palace, having servants wait on her hand and foot, wearing the finest silks and linens. But none of that mattered to her, it all seemed like petty things when it came to Yami. There was something about him, underneath all the gold and jewels and the title of Pharaoh, there was a wonderful young man, and to her he was worth all the gold in the world. Never had anyone been so nice to her, all her life she was used to people only caring for themselves, but with Yami it was like everyone else came first. Not something she was accustomed to when it came to the Pharaoh, but then again, she had only been alive to witness the rule of one other. The bastard heretic Akhenaten. The more she thought about it the more she realized that Yami was nothing like him. Sometimes she could have sworn that Yami was someone else's son.

   "Yami…I…I don't know what to say," She blushed, "You are so good to me."

   "You are worth more then even I can give you. But I can give you all that I have, Athena I…" His voice faltered.

   "Yes?" She questioned. Was he about to say "it"? Her gaze met his as she placed a hand on his chest. Everything about this moment was so perfect; the wonderful smells wafting in the air the soft sound of trickling water issuing from the mini man made waterfall at the other end of the bathing chamber. This was the place where they first kissed.

   "I'm glad that you can come tomorrow." He forced himself to say. 'I can't do it, I don't love her.' He winced at the thought, but he kept his outward emotions to a minimum as he noticed the stunned look on her face. 'But…'

   "Oh. Well. Um…" She lowered her gaze and she swam away from him and walked up the steps out of the pool as she repositioned her top. Grabbing a towel she began to dry off, but she left her face wet in hopes that Yami couldn't distinguish the tears from the water. "Thanks for inviting me." She said rather dryly as she threw the towel down and walked out of the room. 

  Yami was left in the room alone; still sitting with his feet in the water he lowered his head and moaned. 'Why does this have to be so hard?' Reaching down to the water he cupped his hands and splashed his face with the cool liquid. There was nothing he could do now, well one thing, but that was out of the question. At this point Yami was so frustrated with himself, all the pain and hurt that he had caused Athena, it was all because he was to stubborn to admit his feelings. "Curse that retched Nefrititi." He muttered. But in all honestly, he was beginning to blame himself more then he blamed her. His head was starting to throb now. Grimacing he placed a hand to his forehead. Why didn't he just take Malik's advice? Bener had told him the same thing that Malik did. But they didn't understand, no one did, however, something in the back of his mind, or maybe it was his heart told him that Athena would understand. Again, telling her was out of the question. Yami was the kind of guy that dealt with his own problems. He was the Pharaoh, minor weaknesses like this meant nothing, they were nothing to the living God. As much as he wanted to run into the room and hold her close to him, to tell her he loved her until the day he died, he decided against it. As much as it broke his heart to see her like this, there was nothing he could do to ease the pain, but he was going to try his best. 

   Slowly stumbling out of the bathing chamber he expected to find Athena in bed, but was surprised to find it empty. With a quick glance around, he found her out on the balcony. Clearing his throat, he made his way over to where she was. Not saying a word, he leaned over the balcony, glimpsing the city of Thebes bellow him, not really taking in all the sights though; he had other things on his mind. Quickly steeling glances of Athena, so as not to draw attention to himself, he made up his mind as to what he was going to say.

   "Athena, I… I never meant to hurt you," He whispered quietly fumbling over his words as he spoke. Athena glanced at him silently as her gleaming jade eyes dulled slightly, but she quickly pulled away, fixing her gaze one something else, as she bit her lip, trying to hold back a sob. 'Dear Ra why do I still listen to him? Haven't I heard this already?' See, with Athena, the phrase ' I never meant to hurt you' always ended in heartache. But all those previous relationships were nothing compared to the warmth that she felt when she was with Yami, and for some reason when he said it, she believed him.

   "Well, what did you mean to do then?" She asked, the words coming out harsher then she intended. 

   Yami winced at her statement; he had never heard Athena this upset. Her words were usually that of kindness, and innocence. Softly he placed his hand over hers as he held her chin up.

   "I, don't know. Athena, I care…deeply about you. Never, did I intend to cause you this much pain, and truthfully…Ra, I don't know if I can say this…I never expected to fall for someone like this; someone like you. But that first night I saw you; I don't know; something inside me went off. I never felt that way before, and it scared me."

   Her eyes went wide. Moving closer to him she lifted up her hand and brushed away a blonde bang from his face. Then, moving only inches away from his ear, she whispered something.

   "I love you."

   Yami's eyes shot open. 'No. You don't…you cant.' But it was too late. Before he could open his mouth to speak she brought her lips to meet his in a fervent kiss. All his thoughts just jumped off the balcony as he wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her in so close. For that fleeting moment they were like one. His tongue ran across her delectable lips, as she moved her fingers through his silky hair. Gently teasing him, Athena opened her mouth only a little bit, but Yami wasn't playing games, with force he pushed his tongue into her mouth, overpowering her. Athena's eyes shot open at the abrupt aggression, but she slowly closed them as a moan of pleasure escaped her lips, only to be muffled by Yami's mouth on hers. The two were so immersed in on another that it was like the whole world came to a stand still. By this point Athena was barely able to breathe, so she pulled away, only able to take in a little air before her lips were assaulted by his. Yami bit her bottom lip tenderly and slipped his tongue into her mouth yet again. This time she decided to play around with him, her tongue met his, then she slid her tongue into his mouth. Athena brought her hands down from his hair and she slowly began to caress his face, feeling every contour, studying everything about him as she continued to play her tongue across his lips. Yami moved his hands around her body, the sensation caused her to shudder a little. Her body was on fire, because of the way Yami touched her, the way he held her.

   Ever so slowly, after what felt like hours, they pulled away. Yami still held her close to him, refusing to let her go. This night was so crazy, after he lifted one burden, another one took its place. 'She loves me.' He thought as he rested his chin on her head, all the while gazing out at the temple to Amun. 'How can she love me?' He sighed heavily; this was something that he was not prepared to hear, but at the same time, he was glad that he heard it. All this confusion was messing up his head, now, he didn't know what to think.

    The north winds were beginning to blow strong, and he could feel Athena's body shiver against his own.

   "How about we head in? It's probably into the early morning hours, and I…we have a big day tomorrow." He whispered to her as he kissed her forehead.

   "Sounds good." She replied with a smile.

They turned from where they were and made their way back into the bedroom, all the while Yami was planting kisses on her neck, making the trek to his bed go much slower then it should have been.

Flopping down on the bed, they sighed as they snuggled up close.

Yami held her tight as he contemplated what had been said earlier. 

   'I love you.' Those three words were playing across his mind over and over again. They way she said it, the look she had in her eyes; all of it made him wonder just how much he cared about her.

   He took in a deep breath, and he felt that sharp jolt in his chest again, it was the same jolt that he felt months ago. He remembered it like it was yesterday. But it still scared him; because he knew it could only be one thing. He didn't want to think about it.

   "Yami?"

He was snapped back into reality by a soft voice. "Yes?"

   "You have that look on your face again." She sniggered, Yami was so adorable when he was deep in thought. "Is there something you're not telling me?" She stared at him. Athena could tell he was trying to make up another excuse. Before he had a chance to try and redeem himself she placed a finger to his lips. "Shh, it's ok, you don't have to tell me. Unless, you are going to tell me the truth, then I don't want to know." She narrowed her eyes. Yami looked at her with amazement. She could read him like a book; sometimes it scared him. Slowly he brought his lips up into an unmistakable grin. 

   "You know me well," He sighed, "Almost too well."

   "You're right my Pharaoh. Nothing escapes me." She nuzzled her face into his neck, and nipped playfully at the tender skin there.      "Especially you." She added quietly. 

He chuckled softly to himself. What would he do without this girl? He couldn't imagine life without her. Bringing her head up she eyed him curiously.

   "What's so funny?" She teased. "Did someone crack a joke?"

   "No." He laughed. "Why?"

   "I dunno, I heard you laugh. And I know you weren't laughing at me." She cocked and eyebrow up jokingly.

   "What if I was?" He said, as he too raised an eyebrow as if to challenge her.

   "Well… If you were then I'll just have to punish you." She said seductively as she climbed on top of him.

   "Ooh…" He murmured.

   "What now?" She asked as she lowered her face until it was only inches away from his, all the while her fingers moving up and down his bare chest.

   "So there is a darker side to you?" He smiled. "Or am I just rubbing off on you?"

   "Mmm. I don't know." Her voice was a mere whisper. "I think it's the latter." She spoke softly while she sat up, still sitting with one leg on each side of him. Yami just wouldn't have this, she was too irresistible. Wrapping his strong arms around her neck he brought her back down to him. He kissed her lips once, a soft sweet kiss, and again. Gradually his hands made their way to her dress top. As he kissed her again, he slowly began to pull down on her top, she did not desist his action; rather she continued to kiss him gently, until her top was completely removed. Unexpectedly, he rolled her over onto the bed until he was on top. For a moment he just stared into her eyes, drowning in their warmth. She smiled at him as he lowered down to her, and began nibbling on the flesh of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him, as he began biting rather hard, she closed her eyes, cringing at the slight pain. He then sucked on the tender skin, to dull the pain. A moan of satisfaction escaped her lips. Yami continued on his path slowly moving down her neck, to her collarbone and he started to run his tongue along her breasts. 

    Her back arced sensually as she dug her nails into the skin of his back, unable to believe the pleasure that Yami was bringing her. "Yami." She groaned quietly.

    He smiled as he rubbed his hands along her hips; his mouth found hers and he gave her one last passionate kiss before he rolled over onto the bed.

   Still breathing rather heavily Athena placed the top of her dress back on and lay down beside Yami. Cool gusts of wind were coming in from the window and the balcony. A slight red hue could bee seen on the horizon.

   "It's almost dawn." She told him.

   "Well then, we better get some sleep, we only have a few hours before we have to get up again." He replied, pulling her in close to him. She rested her head on his chest, as her eyes slowly drooped.

   "Goodnight." He whispered.

   "Mmm." She moaned.

He took in a deep breath; his chest rising and falling with each heavy intake.

Everything he had ever doubted before was gone. All the denial, the guilt and the pain; well most of it; had flown away. He did love this girl, more then life itself. He loved her; he needed her like the air he breathed. His heart was hers now; to do what she pleased with it. To love it, or to break it. The corners of his mouth raised slightly into an almost unnoticeable smile. 'I love you.'

   He closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

Sorry that took so long…I'll try to post at least a chapter a week from now on k? Thanks for wasting precious moments of your life by reading my story!   


	6. Late Nights and Egyptian Wine

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh.

Here's the lemon you've waited so long for…

                             *Late Nights and Egyptian Wine*

  "Late! You're late! Yami get up!" Bener yelled as she hurried across the room.

Yami's eyes were still closed tightly, he felt Athena shift under his arm. He was in a dream like state, still thinking about what had happened the night before.

  Athena turned around to face him and placed a warm kiss on the tip of his nose. Yami smiled, he opened one eye slightly to see her, she was gleaming back at him, although, she still looked rather tired. 

   He moved in for another, longer kiss, but as soon as his lips met hers, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Pulling away, he turned around and shot an annoyed look at Bener.

   Noticing how impatient Yami was becoming, Bener just laughed at him.

   "I'm sorry Yami; none of that now. You have to get ready."

   Ignoring her he went back in for another kiss, but Bener slapped him on the back of his head.

   "I mean it!" She snapped at him. "Sorry Athena dear, I didn't mean to…interrupt." She added putting on a more pleasant face.

   "Yami, you have to get dressed and you have to talk to Seth before the ceremony. And you know how long it takes to put on all that fancy stuff." She added matter of factly. "And Athena, I saw your dress, its beautiful. I don't suppose you will be able to get ready any faster."

  Athena just looked from Bener to Yami and back to Bener. Did it really take all that long to get dressed for something like this? All her life all she had to do was slip on a clean wool dress, and she was good to go. She assumed that this wasn't the case for palace royalty. 

   All of a sudden, the door cracked open and a few heads popped in. Athena recognized one of them; it was Anzu.

   "Come in girls." Bener beckoned them. "Yami, you are going to get ready in Malik's room. Us girls are going to take over in here."

   "Ok, fine." He groaned as he got off the bed. There was no way in hell that he was going to stay in here with all these girls and their girly stuff. Before he left he kissed Athena on the cheek, and noticing her discomfort he added a soft word of encouragement.

   "Everything's going to be fine. Don't be nervous." He whispered so that only she could here.

  And with that, he walked swiftly out of the room. Athena sat on the bed, blushing slightly. All the girls were staring at her, smiling sweetly.

   "Aww, Athena that was so cute!" Anzu squealed, walking closer to her. The other girls nodded in agreement.

Athena smiled. That was nothing compared to last night, she thought.  

   "Ok quickly now, we haven't got much time girls!" Bener said loudly.

All the girls were hustling around the room, and more servants came in bringing the make up the jewelry, the fine perfumes and the dress.

 Instantly they began to crowd around Athena, pulling her up from the bed and dragging her over near the balcony where there was good light. Anzu laid the dress on the bed; Athena was trying to get a good look at it, but she was being smothered by servant girls who were pulling at her hair; brushing it and stringing gold beads through certain strands. Another girl came over and sprayed something on her that smelled like lilies, quite pleasing to the senesces. Was all this really necessary? She thought, as gold rings were placed on her upper arms, hugging them tightly.

Then after removing here simple linen gown, they slipped the beautiful dress on over her head, being careful not to mess up her perfectly done hair. The dress was that of golden pleats, with a white see-through pleated over dress; made of the finest spun linen that money could buy. Sewn into the linen were thousands of tiny lapis, turquoise, and gold beads. The white linen over dress hung loosely over her shoulders, almost covering up the beautiful gold bands that she wore. After Bener placed a scarab broach in the middle of Athena's chest, Anzu went behind her to clasp on the wonderfully decorated collar of gold and electrum that went around her and cut off at the shoulders, it was rather heavy.

Finally, she was ready. There was only one more thing to put on. Athena felt as though she was going to collapse under the weight of all that gold. But when Anzu opened the box that contained the last piece of jewelry Athena struggled to hold in a gasp.

   "By Ra! Anzu, Bener… I-Is that-"

Bener nodded, "Yes, Yami wanted you to have it. He told us it was a surprise."

What Athena was staring at was the crown of the queen of Egypt. It was the same crown that the Goddess Isis wore. Anzu took it out of the box and placed it on Athena's head. The crown was golden, in the shape of a bird with its wings outstretched to hug the side of her head. Little gold strands dangled from the wings and hung down into her hair. If she didn't have her eyes painted with black make-up she would have cried.

 Anzu smiled at her and led her over to a mirror. Athena gazed at herself, she was almost unrecognizable. Feeling a little uncomfortable she began fidgeting with the many bracelets on her wrists. Her gaze kept on resting on the golden crown that was on her head, she couldn't believe it, but she really did look like an Egyptian queen. Athena noticed Anzu coming up behind her, she turned around and smiled.

   "I'm so happy for you Athena. Nobody deserves this more then you." She smiled as tears began building up in her eyes.

   "No Anzu, I…well…thank you for being here for me. This is so hard." Athena was beginning to feel guilty. 'I don't deserve any of this.' She frowned.

   "What's wrong?" Anzu asked her.

Quickly regaining her composure Athena beamed at her. "Oh, nothing. Just a bit nervous, that's all."

   "Ok girls, everybody out! Hurry Yami will be back soon!" Bener yelled over the noise that the girls were making.

   "I gotta go." Anzu grinned. "Good luck." She added, still seeing a bit of tension in Athena's face.

   "Thanks." Athena muttered to her as Anzu left the room.

Bener walked over to Athena to give her some last minute prepping.

   "Athena, you look beautiful. When you go out to the ceremony, all you have to do is smile and wave." She told her.

   "Smile and wave. Got it." She repeated. Well, that didn't sound so hard. Then why was she still so nervous? "Thank you for everything Bener."

   "You're very welcome child. I have to go now, lots more things to do." Bener walked out of the room, leaving Athena alone to worry about things even more.

   Sighing, she carefully sat down on the chair next to Yami's bed, making sure not to mess up anything. She was thinking about today while she absentmindedly fidgeted with her bracelets again.

* * *

Yami too was having his own problems getting ready. Servants were pulling and tugging at his hair and his clothes, all the while Malik just sat back and sniggered to himself.

   "Shut up Malik." Yami warned over the crowds of servants surrounding him.

   "Ooh what are you going to do?" Malik snapped. "Come over here and whack me with your gold stick?" 

   "For your information it's called a crook. It's for ceremonial purposes. And no, I'm not going to hit you with it, I'd rather slit your throat with my dagger."

Malik shut up real fast. Yami was only joking; right? At this point he didn't know. Yami was so on edge about this ceremony, that Malik decided to heed his warning. 

   Yami's garb was the traditional Pharaoh get up. A white linen kilt with a golden silk sash tied around his waist. His upper body was mostly bare except for golden armbands, and a beautiful Nekhbet collar. Nekhbet was a symbol of protection for the Pharaoh; it was a vulture shaped necklace whose wings wrapped around the Pharaoh's neck protectively, warding off evil spirits. 

   Just under the golden collar the motif of the scarab pushing the solar disk could be seen. Its outer face was inlayed with colored glass and semi-precious stones. When the servants were done they put Yami's gold crown on. In the middle was carved an eye. It was the eye of Horus; the millennium eye.

   The servants, after finishing their work, were dismissed by the Pharaoh with a graceful wave of his hand. Bowing to show their respect, they left the room.

   "Praise the Gods! You're finally ready." Malik shouted throwing his hands in the air. "Here's you other little stick thingy." He said, handing Yami a gold staff that matched the other one he had in his hands.

   "Thanks."

   "So…How did things go last night?" He questioned as he nudged Yami with his elbow.

   "None of your business." Yami snapped.

   "Hey! I helped you out! I deserve to know." Malik retorted, "Besides; I'm your best friend." He figured that if he played his cards right maybe Yami would tell him everything. 

   "It was nice. I appreciate all you did for me." He said cordially.

   "Details man, details!" Malik insisted while he adjusted the gold choker necklace that he always wore. He too was dressed a little nicer then usual. He had a gold snake shaped armband that coiled around his upper arm, emphasizing the nice muscle tone that was there. 

   "I don't have to tell you anything Malik."

   "Yes you do." He stated simply.

   Yami gawked at him. This boy had some nerve.

   "Mind running that by me again? Did you just order me to do something, Malik?"

   "Uh, no. I merely…Well I just wanted to-" Malik stuttered.

   "Oh just give it up. I'm not telling you, and that's final!" Yami shouted.

   Malik lowered his head and chuckled, he just realized something.

   "So…was she good?" He stated quietly.

   "Excuse me?" Yami didn't think Malik would have the nerve to go that far.

   "Was she good?" He repeated louder.

   "NO! Malik I swear to the Gods I'll have your head for that!"

   "No? You mean she was bad?!"

   "No that's not what I meant. We didn't do that. Malik you freak! And if we did I sure as hell wouldn't tell you!"  

He looked at Malik who looked like he was about to cry from laughing so hard.

   "Bastard." Yami muttered.

   "Stud." Malik teased.

Yami didn't have the time to try and kill Malik now, plus, he didn't want to get his clothes all bloody. 

* * *

Athena was pacing around the room, her nerves were getting the best of her. Bener had come back in the room offering her a trey of date cakes, but she was to nervous to eat so Bener left them sitting on the table by the bed.

"What's taking him so long?" She mumbled to herself, putting a piece of hair back in its place. Walking over to the chair she decided she should sit down, before she fell down. Resting her head in her hands her thoughts began to wander off. 'What if I mess up? Will he be angry?' He stomach began to hurt. Closing her eyes she continued to think of the worst possible scenario, until a nock on the door caused her to jump out of the chair.

   "Come in." He throat was going dry, and it was becoming hard to talk.

Yami opened the door, but stopped dead in his tracks. 'By Ra.' His breath caught in his throat. Standing before him was someone so perfect, so amazingly beautiful; she looked like the Goddess Isis.

Unable to tear his eves away from her, he walked over and placed a hand on her face. He could feel her shake a little.

   "What's wrong, my beautiful lotus?" He asked, bringing his hand down to rest on her shoulder.

   "I'm so scared." She whispered hoarsely, fixing her gaze on him. If ever Yami looked like a God now was the time. It almost made her shudder at how gorgeous he was.

   "Well, don't be." He smiled at her as he lifted her chin up. "You look, amazing."

She smiled back at him; her heart skipped a beat. It seemed as though now that he was with her, she felt a whole lot calmer. "Thank you." She said, her voice was coming back. "Thank you for everything." She placed her hand on the golden crown that she wore, signifying what she meant.

   "You like it?" He asked her.

   "Yami, it's beautiful."

   "Yes it is, but it pales in comparison to you. I thought you'd like it." He said as he moved a strand of hair away from her face.

   Athena felt her face flush. 'Oh no I'm blushing.' But her reddened cheeks could hardly be seen under all the rouge that the girls put on her. She lifted her head up, the deep jade of her eyes was accentuated by the coal black eye make up that she was wearing. She narrowed them slightly, a smile playing across her face.

   "You look like Amun himself." She told him.

   "I don't need flattery, I hate dressing up like this." He sighed to her.

   "I know what you mean, all this gold is weighing me down." She chuckled.

   "All part of the ceremony. It's a load of crap if you ask me. I mean why can't I just throw on something and say a few prayers to Amun? Its not like the people care what I look like." He said.

   She just shook her head and laughed at him.

   "You are the living God, son of Osiris. You have to look like a God; sometimes. Especially when you are dedicating at temple to our father Amun." She scolded him playfully.

He just rolled his eyes as if to say 'whatever.'

   "So, who all's going to be there?" She asked curiously.

  "Let's see…" He thought for a moment. "Well, the entire city of Thebes, every priest of Amun from around the country. Bakura; well you don't know him, he's my high priests' apprentice, my best friend Malik-" 

   "I haven't meet him yet either." She interrupted.

   "Yea."

   "Sorry; continue."

   "Ok. Umm, Seth my vizier and…oh yea, high priest Seto-" 

Yami quickly stopped, he had almost forgotten what Seto had done to Athena; tying her to his bed like she was nothing more then a piece of property.

   "Sorry." He apologized quickly.

   "Its ok," She said, "Think of it this way. If he hadn't done what he did, we wouldn't be together."

   "You've got a point. But still-" 

   "Shh." She placed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Its ok. If I can forgive him, so can you."

   "Ok." He whispered; she had such a good heart.  

He wrapped his arms around her, very cautiously so as not to mess up the intricate beadwork of her dress. 

     By now, the sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was afternoon. The burning heat of the Egyptian sun could be felt all around the palace. This was usually the time when all the palace servants began to slow down on their afternoon chores, but not today. There was too much to be done to get ready for the festivities. The kitchens were bustling with activity, roasting hundreds of lambs and ducks. After all; there had to be enough food to feed an entire city, and then some. There were date cakes, figs, pomegranates and other sweet foods to eat, wine and beer, as well as water to drink. The palace had been preparing for this gala event for days. 

     Bener had instructed Anzu to go and put on her best attire, which was a simple but rather elegant white linen dress that cut off at the ankles, and one little gold bracelet that was given to her by her father. Tonight, she would be serving food and drink to all the palace officials, and other important people. She had to look her finest. Bener too, wore nicer clothes then usual, like everybody else that would be attending the banquet.

    Once the sun began to set the torches by the temple were lit and guests began arriving by the hundreds. Either standing, or sitting at the tables that were provided, all waiting to get a glimpse of the powerful Pharaoh that had tore down all the temples to the Aten and replaced them once again with the traditional Gods of Egypt. 

As soon as the guests had arrived and were waiting around the temple down in the city Seth went to the Pharaoh's room to announce that they were ready for him.

Knocking on the door, Seth waited for a response before he entered.

   "Pharaoh." He said, bowing low. "We are ready." Looking up he saw Yami, with a girl that he had never seen before. He shrugged it off; she was probably just an escort for tonight's celebration. But she was enticingly beautiful. In fact, after Yami was done with her tonight he was going to see what he could do to get her in his bed. Seth always got what he wanted, being the second most powerful man in Egypt, he was never denied anything, and he was certainly not going to be denied this beautiful girl. A strong voice snapped him out of his dream like state.

   "Seth, I would like you to meet Athena." Yami said as he took her hand in his.

   She bowed to him and lifted her gaze to meet his.

   "Pleasure to meet you." He said to her. Turning his attention to Yami he continued. "What a lovely escort great one. Truly she is worthy to be in your presence."

Her eyes shifted uncomfortably towards Yami.

   "Seth, she is more then just an escort." He told him as he began stroking her hand comfortingly, sensing the sudden belittlement.

   "I see." Seth said, looking at her semi harshly. 'Well, that is a little problem, now isn't it?' No matter. "Great one, we must be heading down to the city now, high priest Seto is already starting the procession." He waited until Yami and Athena walked out of the room and then he followed.

   The palace was virtually empty, everyone was down in the city enjoying all the entertainment and wonderful food. Palace guards and a few of Yami's council members surrounded Yami and Athena; who were walking hand in hand. Malik was among those walking in the entourage. He was behind Seth; when Yami looked back at him he gave him a reassuring wink. Yami smiled as he turned back around.

   They all made there way out of the palace and down the city streets, which were also empty. However they could hear the music coming from the temple. They could here the priestesses chanting and playing their sistras to awake the Gods.

   He turned to Athena as they continued walking, 

   "Excited yet?" He whispered in her ear.

She merely nodded her head with a broad smile across her face. He chuckled to himself. As they drew nearer both Yami and Athena nearly jumped out of there skin. Blaring trumpets began to play, announcing the Pharaohs arrival. The crowd hushed, and the musicians stopped their playing as everyone turned their heads in Yami's direction, hoping to get a glimpse of the God king. Seth marched forward to the front of the little group surrounding Yami and Athena he raised his hands to hush what little talking was being done.

   "I; the eyes and ears of Pharaoh; am honored to announce that the God king has blessed us with his presence."

Yami rolled his eyes, all this introduction wasn't really necessary, but Seth did like to babble on and on. He continued to listen to Seth's annoying speech as Athena quietly laughed at him. She knew Yami was hating every minute of this.

   "The great Pharaoh Yami has come to lay a blessing on the lands of Egypt and to reawaken the almighty Gods who for centuries have watched over this land, making it the greatest in the world."

The multitudes of people began cheering at Seth's final words and the royal procession continued. They walked down the dirt path that led to the temple on the hill as people made way for the Pharaoh. Yami could see people standing on tables and parents holding up their children so that they could see him. He smiled and waved, and so did Athena. At last arriving at the top, the royal guards and the council members dispersed taking their appropriate places along the walls of the temple. Yami, with Athena at his side walked over to the priests of Amun greeting each of them. Finally he came to his high priest Seto and Seto's apprentice Bakura. Both were covered in gold and electrum, and donned pure white linen robes, they were barely recognizable. Yami shook Seto's hand and muttered a short praise to Amun.

   "Welcome my Pharaoh." Seto bowed to him. Yami nodded his approval. There was a long banquet table situated in front of the temple, this was where all the important people were to sit. He pulled out a chair for Athena and motioned for her to sit. She did so, gracefully and thanked him.

   "I have to say a few words, I'll be back in a minute." He said so low that only she could hear him.

   She nodded and smiled at him. "Good luck." She mouthed.

Malik sat down next to her as he winked at Yami.

  "Hi. I'm Malik." He said quietly as he lifted up her hand and kissed it.

   "Hello Malik." She smiled, blushing a little. "Yami has told me so much about you."

   "Ooh. That cant be good." He joked.

Athena just laughed. All the while Seth was watching them out the corner of his eyes.

   Yami raised his hands to get the attention of everyone. Silence rippled through the crowd below. He glanced back at Athena who was sitting next to Malik, she gave him a little smile and urged him on with a little hand motion, and Malik did the same. He wasn't nervous, he had done this sort of thing a thousand times, he just wanted to get it over with so that he could be with her and enjoy the rest or the night.

   Turning back around he cleared his throat and began to speak.   

   "My people." He began. "I come to you tonight, not as your king, but as a messenger of the Gods."

Behind Yami, Seth put a hand over his face. Yami was always belittling himself, why did he just say that? Slowly bringing his hand down, he continued to listen to Yami's speech.

   "They say to you, 'vanquish that which has suppressed you for years, that which hath killed your brother. Relinquish all which that evil hath created, erase him and his false God; the Aten; from every monument, every temple, and every memory in this great land of which we live.'" He paused as he looked around the crowd, every eye was upon him, and no one was moving a muscle.

"My people," He continued, his eyes were fiery balls of lava at that moment. "The name Akhenaten shall be erased from every monument, every temple, every memory, and every mouth. I banish the memory of Akhenaten from this land, may his evil Ka be eaten by the Devourer in the netherworld and may he cease to exist." Yami slammed his hand down on the limestone railing that ran along the outside of the temple as people cheered loudly. He smiled, but inside he was screaming. This was his father that he just banished into eternal damnation.

   Raising a hand to silence the crowd once more he brushed away his unease and continued to talk.

   "And now, I will go into the inner sanctum to make offerings to the divine one, Amun. Please feel free to eat and drink your fill, and there is plenty of entertainment to go around." Yami turned around and walked back to the table, the music began playing again and the talking and laughing could be heard throughout the party.

Slipping over to Athena before he had to go into the temple Yami smiled at her. 

   "That was amazing! You can be so serious when you have to." She told him, grabbing his arm and pulling him over to his seat.

   "Yea she's right Yami, although I've seen you more serious." Malik added.

   "When?" She inquired. 

   "Oh…just about every day. Lets see, there was the time he threatened to throw me off the balcony, um…Oh yea, he told me he was going to behead me. And just this morning he threatened to beat me with a gold stick."

   "No I didn't Malik." Yami snapped at him. "I was going to slit your throat you moron." He added smiling.

   "Ha ha, right you are! I nearly forgot about that one!" Malik shouted over the noise.

Athena was doubling over with laughter. These two were so funny.

   "Come and have something to eat." She said to Yami with great difficulty, she was trying to suppress her laughter.

   "Sorry, I cant right now." He replied glancing over his shoulder, he saw Seto waiting for him at the temple entrance along with Bakura and a few other priests. "I have to go into the temple and make some offerings, say a few prayers; you know; all the perks of being Pharaoh." He said sarcastically.

   "Well then, don't let us keep you any longer!" Malik tisked.

   "He's right Yami, don't worry about me, Malik can keep me company." Athena added.

   "Now I'm scared." He joked. "Oh and Malik, if you get her drunk, I will have your head." Yami threatened. Malik smiled innocently at him. "I'm not joking." He added, causing Malik's grin to lower a little.

   "Oh just go!" Malik said as he pushed Yami towards the entrance and walked away with Athena back to the table.

   "Good evening Pharaoh Yami." Bakura said as he bowed his head.

   "Good evening Bakura. How is everything going with your apprenticeship?"

   "Very well." Bakura answered maintaining his ritual standards as a priest of Amun.

   "Shall we proceed with the ritual?" Seto stepped in as he handed Yami the holy incense.

   "Yes, of course. Lead the way please Seto." Yami instructed him.

Seto did as he was told, and Bakura was close behind followed by Yami, with three priests on either side of him and twelve behind. All chanting sacred praises to Amun. The incense that was being burned was so strong it caused Yami's eyes to water.

   The assembly walked into the main chamber. It was a cavernous room that was dankly lit by a few oil lamps. Yami had never been inside a temple like this before. The only temples he had been in were the ones to the Aten. They were quite different then this he noticed. See, his father believed in being close to nature so all the temples to the Aten were open to the sunlight. Not so with this temple, being in here, one would not know weather it was night or day outside.

   Still, this temple was a magnificent sight to behold. Enormous columns, at least sixty feet high; much like the ones in his palace; rose at both sides of the room to support the roof. Gold and electrum, as well as rubies and other precious stones embroidered the walls.

   Yami; preoccupied with looking around the room wasn't paying attention to what was happening. Bakura noticed this and elbowed him in the ribs. Snapping back into reality, Yami noticed that they had stopped walking and Seto was beginning to say some prayers to Amun.

 After what felt like an eternity he was done and they began to walk again. The group was making their way into the smaller room. Yami turned around to see that half of their number was missing.

   "Where did they go?" He whispered to Bakura out the corner of his mouth, so as not to disturb the chanting.

   "Not everyone is allowed in this next room." He replied in an undertone. "It is holier then the previous room."

   "There's one more room isn't there?" He asked as they stopped again, Yami was not very familiar with the ways of this religion.

    "Yes. It is called the holy room of Amun. No one but Seto you and I are allowed to step foot in that room. It is where the sacred shrine of Amun is, with a golden statue of the God himself."

   "Oh." Yami had a lot to remember about this religion. "Is that where I come in?"

   "Yes. I trust that Seth told you what to say?"

   "Yea. I think I can remember it all."

They began to walk again, this time only Seto, Bakura, and Yami progressed to the next room. This room was the smallest and most dimly lit of all. In the center of the room sat a gilded shrine with an altar in front of it. Seto stepped up onto the platform and opened the hinged doors of the shrine to reveal a small gold statue of Amun. This is where Yami came in, because only the Pharaoh could speak directly to the God.

   "Oh great Amun," He tried his best to remember what he was supposed to do. "We beseech thee to bestow thy blessings upon this land. I, the living God, son of the sun, have raised a grand temple in your honor, so that all may know the almighty power of the favored one." He stopped and stepped up to the shrine. Seth told him that after he said that he was to take the incense and place it in the tray so that it would invigorate the God and awake him from his slumber. Now he was to order Seto to bring the daily offerings of food and wine to the altar, but Seto was one step ahead of him, and he already did it. 'Now what do I do…Oh yea.'

   "Amun, true of voice. Accept these offerings of food and wine, and bestow benevolence upon your people." Yami bowed to the statue before he closed the hinged doors. Then, Seto, Bakura, and he walked out of holy room of Amun, through the next room and out into the biggest without saying a word to each other. Yami walked as fast as he could because he wanted to get back to Athena, before Malik could get her completely wasted.

   Coming out of the temple, the three men were hit with a wave of activity, there was music being played and dancers on stages in their barley-there outfits, entertaining the crowds. Yami looked around and he saw some of the guests dancing as well. He laughed to himself, as he thought about asking Athena to dance. 'No way.' That was out of the question.

   Making his way back over to the royal banquet table he searched for Athena, but she was no where to be found. And worse; Malik was gone too. 'Someone wants to die.' He thought to himself, trying to think of some horrible way to hurt Malik. Picking up his pace, Yami walked around the crowded plaza that was in front of the temple. The musicians started playing another song, a fast song, and the crowd went wild as most of them sprang to their feet and ran up close to the music to began dancing. For Yami this was just more of a problem because now it was harder to find Athena. He turned his head right, then left, something caught his eye and he quickly snapped his head to the right again.

   He saw her; she was up close to the music, dancing. Yami took one step to the right and his eyes landed on a tan, blonde boy. 'Malik!' Yami's blood was boiling. What was this fool trying to do?

   As much as he wanted to storm across the plaza dance floor and rip Malik's hair out, he decided against it. So instead he just walked back over to the banquet table and sat down. Immediately, servants rushed over to pour him wine and offer some food. He accepted the wine, but turned down the food. 

   Adjusting his chair so that he could see, he watched Athena dance with Malik. She was rather good; her body was in perfect accord with the music. Taking another sip of wine, he continued to watch her. The way she moved her hips…Yami could feel his face flush, for his thoughts were becoming rather lustful. 

   "Yes, she is astounding, isn't she." Came a voice behind him. Yami nearly choked on his wine as he turned around to she who made that comment. Seth was standing behind him, but he was not looking at Yami, his gaze was fixed on Athena. "If I were you I'd be keeping closer tabs on her."

   "What do you mean by that?" Yami snarled, Seth was starting to make him angrier.

   "Do you see the way he looks at her? He has lust in his eyes Yami, watch out." Seth smirked, still not able to tear his own eyes away from her.

   "Seth, Malik is my best friend, he would never-" 

   "Yes, my Pharaoh, but you know as well as I do that Malik has a reputation. How many girls has it been?" Seth asked, trying to make his point. "Look at that." Seth pointed out as Malik grabbed Athena's hand and spun her around. "See the way he stares flirtatiously with her."

   "No, but I can see the way you're staring at her." Yami growled; Seth was blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

   "Great one I was merely-"

   "Enough Seth. I will hear no more of your fowl talk towards Malik." Yami said as he raised his hand to silence him. As much as Yami threatened to kill Malik, he still cared for him. Malik was a good man, and they were best friends, Yami had to stick up for him.

   "As you wish, great one." Seth bowed and skulked away, leaving Yami to think about what had just been said.

   Would Malik ever do that to him? Nah, how could Yami even think that about his friend? Malik was always loyal to him. 

   Gazing back up to where Athena and Malik were, Yami didn't see them anymore. Darting his eyes through the crowd, his heart began to beat fast. Malik would never; right?

   "Boo!"

   "By the Gods!" Yami yelled as he jumped out of his chair, causing a few heads to turn in his direction. Turning around, he saw Malik and Athena doubling over with laughter.

   "Ha ha! *Snigger* You shoudda seen *gasp* your face! By Ra, it was priceless!" Malik chuckled.

   "Malik what am I going to do with you? You act like such a child!" Yami sniggered a little too; he was to relieved to be angry. He couldn't believe that he was dumb enough to think Malik would run off with Athena.

   "How was the temple offering?" Athena asked as she came up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

   "Oooh!" Malik teased. Yami didn't have to say anything, he just glared at him, Malik got the picture and he walked away. 

   "Boring," He sighed as he turned his attention back to Athena. "But I see that you are having a good time." He smiled at her. By now quite a few people were staring at them and wondering whom this girl was that just kissed the Pharaoh on the cheek. Many girls looked on with jealousy; nearly all of them were completely in love with Yami and his good looks, so naturally they'd be a little envious of Athena. Yami wasn't paying attention to them though, Malik was however. Glancing over to where Malik was standing Yami noticed him talking to two girls, they were giggling flirtatiously as they flipped their hair moving closer to him. He could tell that Malik was loving every minute of it.

   "So, are you having fun?" He quietly asked her.

   "Oh, absolutely. You really know how to throw a party-" She stopped in mid sentence, the musicians began to play a fast song. "Ooh Yami lets dance." She yelled as she tugged on his arm.

   "No, no I don't dance, why don't you go find Malik, I'm sure he'd love to." In all honesty, Yami knew how to dance, in fact he was quite good, but he had a little bit of stage fright when it came to dancing in front of people.

   "Please, please…I don't want to dance with Malik, I want to dance with you!" She was tugging on his arm harder now as she was begging him to dance.

   Giving up; because he knew that he wouldn't win; he sighed as he allowed himself to be pulled into the center of all the excitement. How could he refuse her? He had seen earlier how she moved her body, and he was pretty eager to be next to her while she pulled those moves on him.

   She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her, but Yami put his arm around her waist and pulled her in even closer, until both their bodies rubbed together. She smiled a little, loving the feel of Yami's body up against hers; and Yami wasn't minding it either.

   "Do you want me to take it slow?" She whispered playfully in his ear.

   "No, I like it fast." He smiled coyly, as he moved his hands down lower.

   "Yami!" She said, sounding slightly shocked, but thoroughly satisfied.

   "What?!"

   "I thought you said that you don't dance?" She raised and eyebrow quizzically.

   "You're right, I did say that, but I lied. I think you'll find that keeping up with me can be rather difficult." 

   "Ooh, is that a challenge?" 

   "Not sure, do you want it to be?"

   "Yami, you have no idea what you're in for."

   "Then show me."

   "Fine." And with one swift movement she pushed away from him and removed the white linen over dress that would only get in her way. Walking up to the band, she whispered something in the lead musician's ear. Immediately, the song that they were playing stopped and a new one started, faster then any that had been played that night. She lifted her hands in the air and swiftly brought them down as she made a elegant turn, one to the right, and then one to the left, all the while, eyeing Yami as if to say 'Ha! You dare challenge me to a dance.'

   Her hips swayed to the music, and by this point people were turning their attention away from their conversations and watching Athena with a great deal of interest. Even the professional dancers on the stage had stopped their dancing to see what this girl could do. She didn't miss a step, even though the music was really fast. Her body twisted and turned arching gracefully. The dance was agile and flowing. But Yami wasn't just going to stand idly by and watch her, at this point he didn't care if people were watching. Briskly walking up to her, he wrapped her in his arms possessively and whipped her around until her face was only inches from his.

   "That was good." He whispered to her, "Now lets see what we can do together."

   Almost in an instant every eye in the plaza was focused on the Pharaoh and this beautiful young girl. Who was she? And why was the Pharaoh dancing with her? These and many other questions were whispered around the crowd while their eyes followed the couple as they were dancing. 

   "I didn't know you were this good." She said, bubbling with glee. Earlier, when she was dancing with Malik she thought that he was good; and he was, but he was nothing compared to Yami. They moved like one person, in tune with each other's bodily rhythms. 

   "I think you're better." He told her as he picked her up in his strong arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he lowered her upper body down until her head almost touched the ground, in a very suggestive position. For it was common in Egypt to dance very sensually, and often, professional dancers danced in the nude. The Egyptians believed in arousing the carnal fervor through dance, and Yami was no exception. He blatantly showed; through his lascivious dancing that he wanted her. And she got the picture, she slowly unwrapped her legs from around the Pharaoh's waist and stared at him. She wanted him too, and badly. But she never gave a second thought about Yami wanting her, the way she wanted him.

   "Yami? Do you…"

   "Yes." He whispered to her. He knew what she was thinking, because he was thinking about it too. In fact, he had been thinking about it for a long time.

   "Well…maybe we…" She was smiling coyly at him.

   "Are you sure?" He didn't want her to do anything that she felt uncomfortable doing. And he was completely willing to wait. Athena was well worth the wait.

   "Uh huh." She muttered as she nodded her head with approval. "But how are we going to get out of here?"

   "Just follow me." He said as he grabbed her hand and walked her back over to the table, with curious eyes following them. There was almost no way that they were going to be able to sneak out of this party without being noticed.

   When they approached their seats, they sat down, all the while Athena was shooting confused looks at Yami. No sooner did they sit down at the table, than Malik waked up to them looking rather roughed up, with a few make up marks on his cheek.

   "Yami I think I'm going to head back now." He said, sounding slightly out of breath.

   "Had enough of those girls?" Yami questioned jokingly. Malik just smiled as he stumbled off, heading back to the palace.

   "Huh. That's a shock." Yami stated, to himself.

   "What is?"

   "Oh, usually after something like this Malik has two girls in each arm, making his way to the nearest bed." He laughed a little.

   "Well…when are we gunna…head back?" She eyed him shyly.

   "How about now?" He lowered his voice to a deep husky tone. "Who cares who sees us?"

   "You're right, lets go!" She said excitedly as she took hold of Yami's hand, pulling him up from his chair. He smiled at her enthusiasm and followed her back down the path that lead from the temple to the main part of the city, which was still completely desolate, because everyone was still at the festival enjoying a night of drinking and wild dancing; and for most a night of wonderful sex; which was a common occurrence after grand festivals like the one tonight.  

   But there was someone watching them as they made their way up to the palace, someone that was mighty jealous of Yami. He watched from atop the temple hill, his eyes never leaving them, until Yami and Athena slipped into the palace entrance. His hands clenched into tight fists as his blood began to boil. Malice was flowing through his veins. He wanted her, and nothing in this world was going to stop him from getting what he wanted, not even Yami.

* * *

With his arms wrapped around her waist, Yami and Athena leisurely made their way through the empty corridors of the palace. No one was here tonight, they had the palace all to themselves. Or so they thought.

   Arriving at Yami's chambers, they heard a muffled sound coming from a room three doors down.

   "I think that's Malik's room." Yami exclaimed as he walked past his own room, towards Malik's. Athena followed close behind.

  Coming to a halt at the door to Malik's chambers Yami placed a hand on the door about to open it, when he heard something. It sounded like a girl, no two girls. Were they, moaning?

   "Dear Ra! I think, we better not open this door. There is something behind it that I don't want to see." He put a hand to his forehead, extremely thankful that he didn't open the door. It would have been quite an awkward moment indeed.

   "What is it? What's going on?" Athena questioned as she walked closer to the door. Yami motioned for her to put her ear to the door. She did so and her face turned red as she laughed quietly. "Well I guess he wasn't getting tired of those girls. I suppose pretty soon he'll be the one tiring them." He sniggered as she stepped away from the door. She looked at Yami. "Soo…What do you want to do?"

   "I don't know." But he knew perfectly damn well what. "Let's head into the room." 

   "Ok." Her heart skipped a beat. The thought of what might happen tonight, actually she was a little scared. Yami was the Pharaoh, and formerly, months ago, she was tied to the foot of his bed and she was there for only one purpose; not to be invited to parties or to be given fine clothes and jewelry. No, she was there completely and solely for the Pharaoh, to give her body to him; weather she was willing mattered not. She was his, no questions and no arguments. If she did not do exactly as he said, her, and her friends would have been killed. She was terrified, what would he do to her? Would he be merciful? Then, when the door cracked open and Yami stepped into the room, she saw the look in his eyes, and for a fleeting moment, she saw pain, and anguish. What he did next shocked her beyond belief, he let them go. Even to this day she still wonders why. Why didn't he do what any other man would have done?

   "Athena?" Yami looked at her, as he gripped her hand and began walking back to his room.

   "Yes?" She had an almost vacant look to her. She was extremely worried about what would happen after tonight. What if he wouldn't want her any more? What if this was the only thing that he wanted from her, and after he got it, he would throw her away? But then… if that were case, why didn't he just use her when she was tied to his bed?

   "You know, if you're not ready, we don't-" 

   "Yami, its not that."

Pushing open the door to his room, he looked away from her. What if she was lying? What if she didn't want to? Was she just saying yes because he was the Pharaoh?

   They walked over to the bed and sat down, there was an air of unease looming over the pair. Athena was the first to break the awkward silence when she turned to Yami to ask him a question.

   "Yami, do you…love me?" Her voice shook nervously, because she was afraid of what she might hear, or not hear.

   Yami was completely taken aback with her question. Yes, he loved her. That, he had already established, but only to himself. His eyes widened a little and he lowered his head, he didn't know what to say. The obvious thing would be 'yes I love you', but for some reason he couldn't do it. Raising his head back up, he glanced at Athena, he saw tears building up in her eyes, and he could tell that she was trying to hold them back.

   "Ok, never mind. You don't have to answer that, but can I ask you something else?" She looked at him as she waited for a response.

   "Ok." He said as he shifted his position on the bed.

   "Why did you let us go? Why didn't you just do what you were entitled to do?" Her voice quivered slightly. 

   "What do you mean by 'entitled'?"

   "Yami, we were yours, to do what ever you wanted. Why did you let us go?" She desperately wanted to know, was this Pharaoh a truly amazing man, or was he just being foolish?

   "It's not right what Seto did to you. I wouldn't want anyone to go through something like that. No one deserves to be treated like an object of possession." That was the truth, he did feel that what Seto did was morally wrong. But that was only half of why he let them go, the other half was etched into his heart, the pain that followed him every day of his life.

   "You had no interest in us whatsoever?" She asked curiously.

   "I'm not going to lie, I wanted you. I wanted you like I've never wanted anyone before, and for a moment, I wanted to follow you and pull you back into my room."

 She gaped at him, she had no idea he felt that way.

   "And I still want you…to be mine. If you want to be." He turned to her and picked her hand up to his lips, lightly kissing it. "Do you want to be mine?"

   "Yami I…yes. Because no matter what your feelings are towards me, I love you, and I always will."

   Yami's head was screaming, he so desperately wanted to tell her that he loved her. Why was it so hard? It was probably because those three words had never issued from his mouth, to anyone. He had never had the desire to say them, but now he did, and it was killing him.    

   "Yami, I don't mean to cause you this much pain." 

Yami was shocked by her words, they issued from her mouth, stinging Yami's heart. What would make her think that?

   "Why did you say that? What I feel when I'm around you is anything but pain. You take all the pain away from me." He enfolded his arms around her and pulled her into a deep hug.

   Athena sighed into his shoulders. Did he mean what he just said? She saw the look on his face after she told him that she loved him, it seemed as though he was at war with himself. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, a little tear fell down her cheek and landed on Yami's neck. The moist contact caused him to pull away, holding her by the arms.

   Through the tears, she smiled meekly at him. She was so disgusted with herself, but she didn't want Yami to know. She didn't want him to know she was scared that maybe after tonight, he wouldn't want her anymore. The thought was almost too absurd for even her to believe.

   But Yami saw past the smile, he knew something wasn't right.

   "What' s wrong. Please tell me. I can't stand to see you like this." He pleaded to her, delicately wiping the tears from her face.

   "I'm…scared." She whispered over muffled sobs.

   "Of what?" He lifted her chin up, so that he could see her beautiful eyes.

   She didn't say anything. He eyes fell to the floor. She couldn't look at him. It hurt too much, because she loved him so much.

   "Athena. Of what?!" He repeated more aggressively gripping her arm harder, but not to the point of being harsh.

   "I don't know! I don't know!" She threw herself back into his arms. "I guess, well I'm scared that you wont want me anymore; after we, after…" Her voice trailed off. She couldn't believe she just said that. Now what would he think of her.

   "No. No, don't ever think that." Yami was looking at her. But her gaze was still fixated on the ground. "Athena look at me."

   She did as she was told and slowly brought her eyes up to meet his.

   "Please, don't think that. I will always want you, I want to be with you forever, I will never leave you, and whatever you do please don't leave me." He pleaded to her. His usually fiery crimson eyes dimmed slightly. He didn't know why she would think something like that. He loved her, he would never do anything like that. He would never do anything to hurt her. But then it hit him, like a ton of bricks, she didn't know that he loved her. So he made up his mind; the only way to save her from this terrible heartache was to tell her, to reassure that all the doubt she had was false. He was going to tell her, in due time. As sure as he was about her, as much as he knew that she was the only one for him, he still had that fear in the back of his mind. He didn't want the same thing to happen all over again. He had witnessed first hand what had happened to his father, Yami knew what a woman could do to a man. But he didn't have to worry about that, he was sure. Athena was nothing like Nefrititi, Athena loved, and she cared, and she had a heart.

   "I will never leave you, I promise. Yami, you don't understand how much I love you. I don't know how you feel about me, but all I can tell you is that I know what I feel about you." 

   Yami was inwardly relieved to hear that, yet at the same time it only made his chest twinge more. Like someone had thrust a sword dead in the center of his heart. He was relieved in the sense that now he knew how she felt about him, but deeply irritated by the fact that he was sitting only inches away from her, but it felt like they were miles apart. He had to tell her, or he just couldn't live with himself. But he couldn't do it yet; it seemed almost like he was forcing himself to say it. He didn't want it to be like that, he just wanted it to happen.   Athena looked over at him; Yami had a bemused expression on his face. She could tell that he was deep in thought, yet again.

   Sighing, she fell back on the bed, shifting slightly and laying her head on the soft pillow. She could tell that he didn't love her; so she thought. But then why was he so nice? At this point she felt as if her head was going to explode. Yami was confusing her, to the point where she wanted to scream out loud. Becoming lost in her own thoughts, she almost didn't notice Yami crawling over her and laying on his side of the bed, until he latched his arms around her and pulled her in close to him. He began to lightly kiss her cheek, gradually making his way to her lips.

   Her mind was wild with rage. 'Don't let him do this to you!' It screamed. 'He doesn't love you! He's just using you!' She didn't want to listen to that haunting voice that clouded her feelings for Yami. Because she knew that even if he didn't love her, he still cared about her. That meant something, right?

   When his lips found hers, he kissed them gently, casually running his tongue across them. He could taste her sweetness, and that made him want her all the more.

   As his tongue traced across her lips her mind was screaming. 'Stop him now! Before you go to far!' But her heart was pounding loudly, as it did almost every time he kissed her. She shut her eyes hard trying desperately to stifle the contradictions that her subconscious was yelling at her.

   Yami; slightly agitated by the fact that Athena seemed to be in a world of her own; pulled away from her and laid back down on the bed. He wasn't going to do anything to her if she didn't wasn't ready. No matter how bad he wanted to.

   The sudden absence of Yami's arms around her, caused her to snap out of the doubtful state she was in, and turn to him.

   "Do you not want to continue?" She spoke softly.

   "Athena, I can tell you don't want to do this." He stated, sounding slightly hurt.

   "No, no. That's not it," She paused for a second, blushing a little. "Actually, I really want to." 'No you don't!' Her mind stepped in. But this time, she completely tuned it out when Yami gripped her arms and pulled her in for another, deeper kiss.

   This time the only sound that could be heard was the soft sound of ecstasy; a reverberation of the sensation that Athena felt as Yami pressed his lips against her skin. Her mind became more at ease with each heavenly kiss.

   As the kisses became more intense, the pair sat up on the bed, each becoming increasingly enthralled with the other. Their senses were heightened, and each could feel the others body against their own.

   With one hand Yami cupped Athena's chin, as he brought her lips to his. With the other hand he began to slip her dress straps off her shoulders.

   The light linen slipped off her shoulders, gracefully landing on the bed, leaving her angelic body revealed. She shuddered a little, feeling exposed. 

   'You are so perfect,' Yami inwardly thought.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body up against his. Her breasts rubbed against his bare chest, Yami had to take in a deep breath, it was quite a wonderful feeling.

     He kissed her again, and her hands made their way down. She began untying the gold sash that was wrapped around his waist.

   Pulling it off, she threw it off the bed. Now all that was left was the linen kilt, which was easy for her to slip off.  

   After both had succeeded in removing the others clothes Yami lowered Athena down on the bed. She panted softly against his lips as she felt his weight on top of her. His body was warm, and his skin felt good against hers.

   Her heart was pounding like mad now, but one look into Yami's godlike ruby orbs seemed to retain all her fears. He gave her one last look as if to ask 'are you ready'. She smiled a little at him, 'yes'

   Without warning he thrust into her. A slight pain shot through her, causing her eyes to water a little as she clasped the silk sheets in her hands. She tilted her head back cringing slightly, she didn't know if she would be able to take him all in. 

   He was maintaining a slow and steady rhythm, trying not to cause her any discomfort. One of her hands found their way to his back roaming around the smooth skin there.

  Ever so slowly, the pain that she initially felt was melting away and nothing was left but sheer pleasure. She closed her eyes basking in the elation.

   Yami's pace began to speed up, the heavenly feeling was almost too much for the both of them. Her back arced sensually, as she pulled herself closer to him, driving him in deeper. 

   He brought his lips to hers yet again subduing them as he savored the wonderful flavor that he tasted every time he kissed her. Their bodies were moving simultaneously, and as Yami pulled away from the blissful kiss, he pushed deeper into Athena, if that was possible. His hips were grinding into hers, escalating the pleasure until it was almost unbearable. 

   "Ah!" Athena cried out, she closed her eyes the pleasure was like nothing she had ever experienced before, her mind went blank, there was nothing that she was able to think about now. Other then how Yami's body felt as it rubbed against her own, causing her to groan softly.

   Yami tipped his head back picking up the pace once again, the peak of pleasure was upon him, as well as Athena. His body was hot, and he loved the feel of Athena's naked skin brushing up against his own. 

They were drowning, passion was swallowing them up, and they felt as if they were never going to stop. But all good things come to an end, and this night ended, sometime later after an extensive bout of lovemaking.

   Falling back onto the bed, breathing heavily the two snuggled up close to each other, utterly exhausted and having no intent on getting up until the afternoon. 

                                           * * *

Collapsing on the bed, Malik sighed heavily, as he wiped a few sweat beads from his brow. He and the two girls had been going at it for about two hours now. 

   They both lay on either side of him in his overly enormous bed, snuggling up close as he put one arm around each of them. He could tell that both of them were utterly exhausted, or else he would have kept on going for quite some time.

   Things like this happened frequently with Malik. But he never asked any of the girls their names. He didn't think that it was all that important, after all, these one night stands never meant anything, they were just something for him to do to pass the time away.

   They were asleep by now and Malik began to think. Sleeping around with a different girl almost every night was beginning to get old. He began to wonder what it would be like to have someone that he could call his own. Someone that would like him for him, and not just because of his gorgeous looks.

   Tonight when he saw Yami and Athena together, he sort of became a tad bit jealous; something that he never really felt before because he could have almost any girl that he wanted. He wondered what it would be like to have someone like Athena, someone that he could care about, and someone that would care about him.

   Shaking his head a little, he shifted his position, closed his eyes and went to sleep, deciding that something like that was never meant for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

   There you have it…a long chapter and I don't know when I'll be able to update next. Writing three stories at one time can get a little hectic, ne?…so I'll try my best…thanks for the reviews!! Keep it up, I need (desperately) feedback. It's like my fuel…Tee Hee…Sore Ja!!


	7. His Father's Son

                               *His Father's Son*

   The next few weeks in the palace went by rather uneventful. As usual Yami spent his days in the throne room, and now that it was finished, the temple to Amun. Seto was around the palace more often now then before the temple ceremony; he had many meetings with the council to attend to.

   Athena spent her days not only with Anzu, but every so often she would hang out with Malik. Anzu would wonder where her friend was running off to, but Athena never really told her. She enjoyed being in Malik's company, he had a wonderful sense of humor, and there was never a boring moment when she was with him. In fact, she planned on introducing Anzu and Malik on day, she was sure that they would hit it off.

   Still, Athena wished that more of her time could be spent with Yami, but what they lacked during the day they sure made up for at night. 

Today was a day much like any other. Athena started her morning by saying her good-byes to Yami. Then she slipped on a simple linen dress and made her way down the hallways to Anzu's room.

   When she arrived, she knocked on the simple wooden door, much less extravagant then Yami's massive chamber doors. Upon entering she found Anzu playing a game of Senat with her grandmother. 

   "Hey Athena!" Anzu exclaimed when she saw the dark haired girl entering the room.

   "Hi Anzu, hi Bener." Athena waved to Bener as she walked over to the wooden chair beside Anzu's bed and sat down.

   "We're just finishing up, I'll be ready in a minuet." Anzu said from the floor where she and Bener had their game set up.

   "Ok."

   Anzu picked up her pawn and made her move.

   "Ha! Beat that grandma!" Anzu cried out extremely pleased with her previous move.

   Without saying a word Bener threw the sticks that would determine what move she would make. She smiled shrewdly as she picked up her pawn and knocked Anzu's off the board with one swift movement.

   Anzu sat and stared in disbelief.

   "How did you…I was so…Uhh!" Anzu gave up trying to find and explanation for why she lost.

   "Anzu dear, I've been playing this game ever since I was a child. You will never beat me." Bener said with a hint of pride as she got up from the floor with a little bit of difficulty. "Well I have to get going, the palace isn't going to clean itself. Although, that would be nice." She added wishfully. "You two have a nice day. And Anzu, you have some work to do so I don't want you to waist your whole day doing nothing." 

   "Yes grandma." Anzu said morosely.

Bener walked out of the room, leaving the two girls alone.

   "So, what do you want to do today?" Athena asked as she stood up from the chair.

   "Umm. Do you want to go watch the palace dancers practice?" 

   "Sure, sounds fun. Maybe I can learn some new moves." Athena said affably.

   "Yea, but you heard my grandma, 'I don't want you to waist your whole day doing nothing'," She said mockingly. "So you'll just have to get along without me for the rest of the day. You can go hang out with this mystery person that you're not telling me about."

   "He's not a mystery person." Athena corrected her.

   "Oh, so it's a he?" Anzu teased.

   "Yes, its Malik." 

   "Malik?" Anzu looked puzzled.

   "Yea, the blonde guy, he's Yami's best friend."

   "Oh. I don't think I've ever seen him." Anzu lifted her eyes up trying to think, she remembered the name, but she had never met him.

   "Yea, you probably haven't seen him, he usually keeps to his room." Athena told her.

   "Well what do you guys do when you hang out?" She sounded quite curious.

   "Not much."

Anzu eyed her as if to say 'yea right.'

   "Well, we talk."

   "About??" Anzu pushed her on.

   "Oh, I don't know, different things, nothing special." Athena said as she shrugged her shoulders. 

   "Well, what was he like when he was a kid? Does he have any funny childhood memories?" She inquired.

   "Actually, I don't know. He doesn't talk about his childhood, he never mentions how he and Yami met. I just assume that they've been here all their lives hanging out and havin' fun."

   "That's not it Athena." Anzu lowered her head, and then brought her gaze back up to meet Athena's. Athena looked t her with unwavering attention.

   "What is it?" She questioned.

   "Right before you came to the palace to live, Malik came back."

   "Back from where. Why wasn't he here?"

   "I don't know where he was, all's I know is that when I came to work here, Malik wasn't here. My grandmother has been working in the service of the Pharaoh ever since she was young, she told me that she knew Malik before he left the palace, but she doesn't say anything else. I think she knows something that she's not telling me. But I don't know much about him, I've never met him. The only things I can tell you is what my grandma told me."

   "Oh." Was her simple answer. Something inside of Athena desperately wanted to know more about Malik. She wanted to find out about his past. So she decided that today after Anzu had to leave, she would find him, and talk to him about it.

   "Ok, enough about Malik, are you ready to go?" Anzu questioned.

   "Huh? Oh, yea."

   Together, they walked out of the room and made their way to the courtyard where the dancers were practicing. 

* * *

Sometime later, much to the dismay of Anzu, Bener had burst into the courtyard, in a rather bad mood. She grabbed Anzu by the ear and started to pull her away, yelling at her for being late and not getting her work done. It was evening now and Bener had told her that she wasn't going to sleep until all the work was done.

   Athena, feeling guilty, offered to help, but Bener immediately said no. She went on to say that it was Anzu's fault for not coming in earlier. So with Anzu yelping in pain, and Bener ranting, the two left the courtyard.

   Athena stood there for the longest time, until it started to get dark, before she remembered what she wanted to do. So swiftly walking out of the courtyard, she made her way to exactly where she knew Malik would be.

   She knew where his room was, because a couple weeks ago, well, Yami and her, they had heard some things. However, she had never been in his room. Arriving at his room, she hesitated before she knocked.

   "Who is it?" Came the voice from inside.

   "Its Athena." She called back. She heard footsteps coming closer to the door, and then it swung open. Malik beamed at her as he motioned for her to come in.

   She did so, as she gazed around his room. It was slightly smaller then Yami's, but it was no less decorative.

   "What brings you here? You didn't actually come to see me did you?" He asked jokingly.

   "Actually I did." She said quietly as she walked over to his bed and sat down. She would have rather sat in a chair and not on his bed, but she noticed that he didn't have one.

   With refinement, the blonde beauty walked over to the bed, but he did not sit down.

   Athena glanced at him; never until this moment did she realize how absolutely stunning Malik was. From his perfectly tanned skin, and his lean muscular body, to his gorgeous face with deep purple eyes. She swallowed hard and turned her face in another direction, she couldn't believe she was thinking about him like that.

   "What is it? You seem kind of distant tonight." His creamy voice cut right through her, interrupting her thoughts.

   "Oh, um, earlier today I was talking to Anzu-" 

   "Anzu? Who's she?" He asked.

   "Just a friend of mine. Anyway when I was talking to her, she said something about you not living here all the time."

   "She's right, but how did she know that?" He questioned with curiosity, as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

   "Her grandmother is Bener, she says she knew you before you left the palace."

   "Bener has a granddaughter? I didn't know that. But yea, I've known Bener ever since I was little."

   "But why did you leave? Where did you go?" She asked him, scooting a little bit closer.

   "Do you swear to the Gods that you won't tell Yami that I told you this?" He asked, sounding a little worried, which wasn't usual for Malik. Most of the time he was never serious, but Athena could tell that he was being dead serious now.

   "Yes I swear."

   "Ok, well I left Thebes when I was seven. I went to Athens, in Greece." He started.

   "But why? Why would you leave Egypt when you were so young? Did your parents like to travel?"

   "No I went alone." He said calmly.

   "What!? When you were seven?"

   "Well I wasn't completely alone, I had Bakura with me." He added.

   "Malik, you're not answering me. Why did you go?" She badgered him.

   "Because Yami's father killed my father!" He blurted out before he could stop himself, "And I was in danger of being killed as well if I didn't leave."

   "By Ra, Malik I had no idea. You mean to tell me that he…he killed your dad?"

   Malik just nodded his head solemnly; his amethyst eyes started to show signs of tears.

   "Why would he do such a thing? I remember how horrible Akhenaten was, even though I was young. I remember him killing all the priests of…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the grief stricken face of Malik turn to her as if to wordlessly tell her.

   "Your father…he was a priest?" She asked.

Malik only nodded his head again, 

   "He was the high priest of Amun, he wasn't just killed, he was tortured, by Akhenaten himself." That was partially true, but it wasn't Akhenaten that tortured his father, it was Nefrititi. But Malik didn't feel like bringing her into it, that would give away to many of Yami's secrets. Something that Malik swore to Yami he would never do.

   "Malik, I'm so sorry." She said softly as she placed a comforting hand on his. He looked up at her, and smiled weekly.

   "Don't be. I think Yami is more troubled by it then I am."

   "Well it sure doesn't seem like it. Why is he always so mean to you?" 

   "Well, I can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes. I think that Yami is just trying to straighten me up, sometimes I think he gets really worried about me. He just doesn't want to show it." Then he looked at her, he was trying to drop a hint that Yami does care, he's just not the best at showing it. "You know, Yami has had a lot of difficulty in his past, and it has…well, it has effected him." He stopped himself before he said too much. 

   "It seems to me like Yami doesn't have any feelings." She said sadly, referring to the fact that he didn't love her.

   "Well, he's the Pharaoh, he was taught not to show any emotions." Malik said in Yami's defense.

   "Yea, well he's doing a good job at it then." She said kind of harshly. Athena glanced back up at Malik, she felt so bad for him, and all that he went through. Even though she loved Yami with all her heart, something inside of her hated him, hated him for being so bitter towards Malik. As for what she could see, Malik was a nice man, a bit over the top sometimes, but nice. And whenever she was around the two, all she heard come out of Yami's mouth was threats to kill him.

   "How can you put up with it?" She asked him.

   "With what?" 

   "The way he talks to you, you know, all the threats."

   "He doesn't mean anything by it. Believe me, that's just Yami. But sometimes I do feel as if I'm a scapegoat, like someone for him to vent out all his anger on." Malik hung his head a little, as he moved a little closer. Athena too, moved closer to him.

   He glanced over at her. 'By Ra, she's beautiful.' He thought. And before Malik could stop himself, he moved in on her, and clasped his lips on hers.

   Athena was hesitant at first, slightly shocked at Malik's sudden assault on her lips. But slowly she closed her eyes, and began to kiss him back. He was good, his lips were so soft.

   Even though the kiss was good, Athena didn't feel what she felt when Yami kissed her. Her heart didn't start to speed up, and she didn't melt into Malik's arms as he held her, like she did with Yami. But still, it was enjoyable. She moaned a little into Malik's mouth as she tangled her fingers into his golden locks.

   Together they fell back onto the bed, kissing each other fervently.

* * *

Yami was walking back to his chambers, looking forward to seeing Athena, after the long monotonous day he spent in the throne room.

   Opening the door, he expected to find her on the bed, after all, it was rather late, but was shocked to find it empty. Growling a little, he sulked over to the bed and flopped down on it. He supposed that she was still with Anzu, which made him a little angry. She was spending all day with that girl, and she couldn't be here when he got back? 

   His temper was growing a little bit, so he decided to find out where she was. With his finger he made the outline of a circle in the air. At once, a silvery orb appeared, floating in midair. This was something that he didn't do very often; he didn't like to use his magic unless he was in the shadow realm. But he didn't feel like going to look for her because she could be anywhere.

   "Show me Athena." He whispered. Immediately, the ball of silver went hazy and a picture started to materialize. It was a bit hard to see at first, but then, as the details started to immerge, Yami felt his skin burn and his blood began to boil. 'No way, the damn thing must not be working right!' He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but he had no choice, his magic was never wrong. He jumped up from the bed and with a wave of his hand the ball disappeared, he couldn't bear to look at it any more. 

   He paced around the room until he couldn't take it anymore. He stormed out of his room and bounded down the hallway. He was going to kill Malik, no threats, no kidding. He was going to kill him. Seth was right all along; Yami should have never trusted him.

   He approached Malik's room in no time. Throwing the doors open he saw them sitting on the bed. He was furious, but at the same time, his heart hurt, badly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

   Both of them snapped their heads towards him. And before Malik could open his mouth to speak, Yami stepped closer and with one swift movement of his hand, had lifted Malik into the air and slammed him against the wall. He was so furious at this point that he didn't care who saw him using his magic. Malik landed on the floor, motionless, knocked unconscious, or dead, Yami didn't care.

   He turned his gaze to Athena, who had backed up farther on the bed. She was paralyzed with fear. She couldn't look him directly in his eyes, because they scared her. His eyes pierced through her. They were on fire; the usual warm red tone of his eyes was gone. It was replaced with a blood red.

   Yami walked to the bed and gripped Athena's wrist, hard.

   "Let go of me!" She screamed out in pain, but all he did was tighten his grip as he dragged her off the bed. She hit the floor hard. "Yami please! Let me go!"

   He ignored her pleas as he continued to drag her across the floor.

   Athena tried desperately to free herself from the Pharaohs impending grip, but it was no use, he was too strong. She struggled to regain her footing, but Yami was walking too fast, she couldn't stand up.

   Yami drug her out of the room, and sealed the doors magically. If Malik wasn't dead, there was no way he was going to get out of that room alive. Pulling her down the hallway, Yami's heart was beating fast he was enraged, and hurt.

   When he reached his room, he flung the doors open with a thunderous boom. Athena was still being drug behind him.

   Walking into the room he threw Athena against the wall, letting go of her wrist.

   She cowered on the floor, massaging her wrist where a bruise was starting to form. She cried, and tears poured down her cheeks. She was scared of Yami, scared of what he would do to her.

   "Silence!" He yelled. "Stop your crying bitch!"

   Those words hurt her more then being flung against the wall. She stopped her crying out loud, but tears still poured down her cheeks.

   "Yami," She said unsteadily.

   "I said silence!" He walked over to her and raised his hand, brutally whipping it across her face. The sound of his hand hitting her skin echoed through the room as she cried out. The impact had caused her head to hit the wall. She wanted to scream out in pain, but she knew that Yami would only hit her again.

   "You wench. Why did you do that? Why did you kiss my best friend? Or, my supposed best friend." Yami spat, he looked at her face, and he could see fear in her eyes. He could also see a red mark on her face from where he hit her. This made him angry. He was causing the one he loved so much pain; but then, the one that supposedly loved him was causing him pain too. 

   Athena said nothing; she was scared of being hit again. She didn't know that Yami wanted her to answer.

   "You will answer my question when I ask you! Do not think you can get away with insolence! I am the Pharaoh, I can have you killed with a wave of my hand!" He didn't want to kill her, but if he couldn't have her, then no one would.

   "Yami, I'm sorry. I don't know why I kissed him." She made Yami believe that she kissed him and not the other way around because she felt that Malik was already worse off then she. "We were talking, about…" She stopped. She promised Malik that she wouldn't mention to Yami what he had told her.

   "What?!" He roared.

   "About…what he did in Athens." She lied.

Yami raised an eyebrow apprehensively, he didn't believe her.

 He lowered to the floor where she was sitting and he gripped her face powerfully and brought it so close to his own that she could feel his warm breath on her face.

   "You're lying to me." He hissed, staring into her eyes.

She glanced away. But he shook her face. "Look at me!" He ordered.

   She did so but she wasn't quite gazing into his eyes, for the first time in her life, she didn't want to.

   "Look into my eyes and tell me that again." He said maliciously.

   "We…we were, talking about what he did in Athens." It was much harder for her to look him in the eyes and lie.

He released her face and stood up.

   "Why did you kiss him?" He asked, still trying to sound angry, but a hint of distress shone through. 

   "I, don't know. Yami I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I love you, that kiss meant nothing!"

   "I don't want to hear it! You don't love me, or you wouldn't have done that!"

   "Well maybe if you loved me I wouldn't have done that!" She shot back.

   "Watch your tongue you commoner! You have no right to talk to me like that!" He growled as he raised his hand again.

   Athena cringed as she lifted her hands up to shield her face. She felt her heart jump. He didn't love her. All he ever though of her was nothing but a mere commoner. Not feeling Yami's hand against her skin, she lowered her hands from her face. His back was turned to her; she couldn't see his face. But if she could she would have seen a single tear run down his cheek.

   "Get out." He whispered.

   "Where do I go?"

   "Leave the palace, leave the city, leave Egypt. I don't care where you go, just get out!" He roared.

  Athena got to her feet and ran out of the room in tears. She didn't leave the palace yet; instead she went to Anzu's room. 

   Banging on the door uncontrollably Athena could hear the muffled sound of footsteps on the other side of the simple wooden door. 

   "I'm coming! I'm coming!" She heard Anzu yell.

Without warning the door swung open, and Anzu gasped at the sight of her friend, tears rolling down her face and a red mark on her cheek.

   "By the Gods! Athena what happened?" Anzu asked as she took hold of her shaking friend and lead her to the bed.

Athena could hardly talk through the crying.

   "Yami." Was all she could manage to say.

   "Yami? Yami what? What did he do?" Anzu sounded worried.

Athena put her hand to her cheek, it still burned. He had hit her so hard. 

   "Did he hit you?" She asked when she saw Athena place a hand to her cheek. "Let me see Athena!" She pulled Athena's arm away and she looked at the welt that was starting to form on the girl's perfect face. "Hold on, I'll get some water and a rag." Anzu walked over to her water basin and dipped a rag in the water. She rung out the excess liquid and brought it back to Athena, placing it on her face. Athena hissed with pain, the cold water was a shock to the heated part of skin where Yami had hit her.

   "Athena what happened?" She asked again, more urgently then last time.

   "I went to talk to Malik." She cried. "Then he told me about everything that happened when he was a child." She paused to take in a deep breath. It was hard for her to try and talk in light of what just happened. "It was so sad, and I…I don't know, he just leaned in and kissed me."

   Anzu gasped as she put her hand over her mouth.

   "Athena…what did Yami do?" She tried to get over her initial shock.

   "He stormed into the room, and he somehow lifted Malik up in the air and threw him against the wall, without even touching him." The mental image was still fresh in her mind; she never remembered being more scared.

   "He…he has magic?" Anzu sounded a little scared to. She was worried for her friend.

   "Yea," She paused, "Malik wasn't moving, I hope he's ok."

   "Well Athena, he got what was coming to him." She interrupted sternly. 

   "No Anzu you don't understand." She whimpered.

   "Even though I don't know Malik, I know what kind of guy he is. My grandma told me. She said he likes to sleep around." She sounded disgusted at the very thought.

   "Anzu it's not like that at all. Well, he does have a lot of girls, but he's really nice, and after he told me about his childhood, I saw him in a whole different light."

   "What do you mean?" Anzu sounded confused.

   Athena repeated everything that she could remember about what Malik had told her. About his father, his life in Athens and about how Yami treated him. 

   Anzu gazed; open mouthed at her friend as she listened to every word that was being said. For some reason, all of Malik's actions were somehow justifiable, in a weird way. 

   "Athena why didn't you tell Yami that? Maybe if he realized how his actions were affecting Malik, maybe he would understand."

   "No, I cant. I promised Malik that I wouldn't tell Yami anything." She told her.

   "Athena, you might have to."

   "Why?"

   "Because it could save Malik's life." Anzu said.

   "Yami won't kill Malik; will he?" Now Athena was worried, what if he would? Then she would never be able to forgive herself.

   "I don't know, but if he wants to, you have to talk him out of it. Even though he might hate Malik now, down the road he'll regret killing his best friend." Anzu looked at her, inwardly pleading for her to tell him.

   "Anzu, if it comes to that, then I'll tell him, but only then." Athena made up her mind, she wasn't going to break a promise unless she absolutely had to. She was sure that Malik wouldn't mind her telling Yami if it saved his life. 

   "Athena, it's late you should try and get some sleep."

   "I'm not tired." 

   "Just lay down. You'll fall asleep soon."

Athena nodded her head and she put the wet rag down on the floor as she and Anzu lay in the bed.

   Anzu fell asleep after a while, but Athena couldn't, she was heartbroken, and she hated herself for what had happened tonight. Her heart ached for Yami, because she could only imagine the pain that he was going through. Even though he hit her and called her names she still loved him, and she longed to be in his arms right now.

* * *

Yami paced around his room for hours. The image that he saw in the silver orb was still fresh in his mind. He desperately tried to forget it, but it was no use, his mind kept on bringing him back to Athena and Malik. He remembered the way Malik was holding her, they way she ran her fingers through his hair, and the way they were kissing. Athena had told him that the kiss meant nothing, and he wanted to believe her but he couldn't. He couldn't because he saw the way they were kissing as he gazed into the image floating in the air. No, that kiss meant something, and it made Yami want to die. 

   Not only did it make him want to die; it made him want to kill Malik. So that was exactly what he was going to do; that is, if Malik wasn't dead already.

   Yami took in a deep breath before he marched out of his room and down the short passage way to Malik's.

   With a swift motion of his hand, the magically sealed doors swung open. Yami looked to the floor where he had left Malik, but he wasn't there. Darting his eyes around the room, he found Malik, sitting low on the bed, holding the back of his head.

   When Yami had opened the doors Malik slowly turned his head. He couldn't move too fast because the pain in the back of his head was almost unbearable. Malik saw Yami bounding towards him.

   "Yami wait!" He hollered. But it did no good. Yami jumped onto the bed and hit him across the face so hard that Malik fell off the bed.

   Malik screamed out in pain, not because of the force that Yami had hit him with, but because when he fell, the back of his head hit the hard stone floor.

   But Yami wasn't nearly done with him. He jumped off the bed to where Malik was. Malik franticly tried to slide away but it was no use.

   "I'll teach you, you bastard!" Yami spat as he clenched his fist around Malik's shirt, lifting him up a little. Then he punched Malik right in the nose.

   Malik's head fell back again. He was breathing heavy now and he brought his hand up to his nose. When he looked at his hand he could see a streak of blood across his fingers. The blood ran down the side of his face, staining his light blonde hair red.

   "Yami, stop this, please." Malik gasped, as he wiped some of the blood away from his nose. Malik tried to stand up, he tried to get away, but he couldn't, his head was throbbing, and he could hardly see through all the blood.

   "Oh I'll stop Malik," Yami growled viciously. "I'll stop when you're dead!" He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "But I'm not going to kill you just yet. I think you should spent a few nights in the dungeon. I think some torture will be good for you."

   Malik looked at Yami with fear, why was Yami blowing this whole thing so out of proportion?

   "Yami please…please don't." Malik begged. "A-ah!"

Yami snatched Malik's hair and started to drag him out of the room completely oblivious to Malik's shrieks of pain.

   He led Malik down a long narrow corridor, which was dimly lit with a few torches. Then without warning, Yami started to go down some steps. Malik's back hit each one hard and he yelled out in anguish with each harsh impact.

   Yami merely smiled to himself, reveling in each one of Malik's disheartening wails.

   They finally arrived at the last step, and now they were in the endless labyrinth that was the dungeon. It was empty now, but when Akhenaten was Pharaoh this place was full of the priests of Amun, who were being tortured to death. This was the very place where Malik's father was tortured and killed.

   Yami opened a cell door, dragged Malik in and chained him to the wall with iron cuffs. He made sure to secure them extra tight, so that Malik would be in the most pain possible.

   Malik struggled a little, but stopped when he saw that his attempt to free himself was only making Yami happier.

   Yami chuckled venomously as he traced his finger along Malik's face, drawing a line through the red blood.

   "I hope you enjoy your last days Malik. I'll sent a guard down to keep you company."

   "Leave me alone." Malik hissed.

Yami backhanded Malik across his face, but Malik stayed silent, he didn't want to give Yami the satisfaction anymore.

   "So, I hope Athena was worth it Malik. Because, she is the last girl you will ever kiss."

Malik said nothing, he only hung his head.

   "Have fun." With that, Yami stood up and walked out of the cell, slamming the gate behind him.

   "It's kind of funny Yami." Malik whispered.

   "What is?"

   "Well, I get to die the same way my father did. At the hands of my best friend."

   Those words hit Yami hard. He swiftly turned around without saying another word, and made his way back up the stairs. Malik was right, and now Yami was beginning to feel guilty. He had just sentenced his best friend to death.

The harsh reality of it hit him when he stepped back into his room and slammed the door. He couldn't believe the things he had done tonight. He hit Athena, and he was going to kill Malik. And for what? A girl.

He was his father's son. 

That wasn't quite as long as the others, but I promise, they'll be more soon…(mwaaahahaha feel the wrath of the write-too-much girl!!)


	8. Pain

                                           *Pain*

The days following the horrific turn of events were something that everyone wished could have been avoided.

   Athena stayed in a room by herself but was frequently visited by Anzu, who was scared that if she left Athena alone to long, she would leave the palace. And Anzu didn't want that to happen.

   Yami kept to his room, and left only when he had to go to a meeting. But everyone that came in contact with him knew that something was wrong. He snapped at everyone, no one, not even Bener, would go into his room unless absolutely necessary.

   Yami couldn't sleep; horrific thoughts kept clouding his mind. All his life he tried everything in his power to prevent becoming like his father. But the enviable was happening.

He fell in love, just like his father.

He would have done anything for her, just like his father.

He was going to kill and innocent life, just like his father.

It ate away at his soul; the demon that he was turning into was engulfing him and plunging him into darkness.

But he still loved her; he still wanted to be with her. However, he was certain that she would never want to be with a monster like him. 

   Part of him wanted to hurt her more, to make her suffer like he was suffering. But another part of him wanted to tell her that he loved her and tell her that he was so sorry for not telling her a long time ago.

   He thought about what she had said. 'Maybe if you loved me I wouldn't have done that.'

   Yami wondered if that was true, if she knew how much he loved her would she still have done it? This was one of the many things that were tearing him apart. Another was what Malik had said, 'You're blowing this out of proportion.'

Was he? Yami was beginning to think that he was. But it was because he had actually opened his heart to another that made him act so drastically. He didn't want anyone to know his weakness, maybe he was scared that Malik had told her. Even after he promised that he wouldn't.

   Well it didn't matter anymore, what's done is done.

* * *

Anzu stepped into Athena's room with a tray of food.

   "I brought you something." She said quietly to Athena who had her back to the door, lying on the bed.

   "What is it?" She whispered hoarsely as she turned around to look at Anzu. "Oh," She sighed noticing the food. "I'm not hungry. Thanks anyway."

   "Athena you have to eat something. You haven't eaten anything in nearly three days." She said sternly. Anzu could see how the fight between Yami and Athena was taking its toll on her friend. Athena was wasting away to nothing. She hadn't slept hardly at all and dark circles could be seen under her eyes.

   "Anzu, I'm worried about Malik. I hope Yami hasn't already killed him." She said mournfully.

   "I'll go check on him if you promise to eat something." Anzu bargained with her.

   "Yea, ok." She nodded her head in agreement. "His room is the third door down from Yami's."

   "Ok, I'll be back soon." Anzu stated as she handed the tray to Athena.

   "Thank you." She whispered before Anzu walked out of the room. 

Anzu walked quietly down the hallways until she found herself near the Pharaohs bedroom. She had never been so close to his room before because she wasn't allowed. The servants had to stay in their part of the palace.

   She stopped in front of Malik's door, and glanced around to make sure no one was around. She tapped lightly on the door.

   "Malik," She whispered, "Malik are you in there?"

No answer.

   Cautiously she knocked a little louder. "Malik. Can I come in? Mali-"

   "What are you doing here?" Came a deep voice from behind her.

Anzu whipped around, and her face went white with fear. Just the person she didn't want to run into. It was Yami, and he didn't look happy to see her.

   "I said what are you doing here?" He asked louder.

Anzu bowed low and then raised her face back up again.

   "Forgive me, my Pharaoh. I…I was just checking on Malik."

   "Yea, well he's not in there." He said harshly.

   "May I…ask where he is?" Her voice trembled, she was more scared of Yami then she ever remembered being.

   "He's spending his last night in this word in the dungeon." Yami hissed. "Before I rip his guts out and feed them to the jackals." He added viciously. "Now go back to where you belong." Yami turned around and entered his room, slamming the door behind him.

   Anzu bolted down the hallway, she had to get Athena to talk to him, Athena had to tell Yami what Malik said, or Malik was going to die tonight.

   She burst into Athena's room gasping for air.

   "Anzu what is it? Is he ok?" She questioned; running up to Anzu and taking her hand, leading her to the bed.

Anzu flopped down on the bed, panting heavily.

   "No…he's…going…to die…tonight!" She struggled to say.

   "Where is he? Anzu where is he?" She asked urgently, shaking her friend.

   "I…don't know. Athena you have to talk to Yami, that's the only thing that might stop him." She said.

   "But what if it doesn't work?" Athena sounded desperate. This was all her fault.

   "You have to try!" Anzu yelled.

Athena nodded her head. She was going to talk to him, even if she had to beg him, she wasn't going to let Yami kill his best friend because of her.

   "Ok, ok I'll talk to him. But Anzu, I'm scared. I don't want him to hit me again." She said as her voice trembled. The pain of the last hit was still fresh in her memory.

   "It's ok, maybe he has cooled down a little bit." Anzu said, reassuring her.

   "All right, I'm going to do it now." Athena said nervously as she walked towards the door. She took in one deep breath and marched down the hallway to Yami's room.

   Hesitantly, she knocked on the door.

   "Go away!" Yami yelled from inside.

   "Yami. It…it's me, Athena."

She stood there, waiting for a response. He didn't answer her. So against her better judgement, she opened the door.

   "I said go away!" Yami yelled as he looked to the door. When he saw that it was Athena he turned away. "What do you want?" He sneered.

   She cringed a little at the harsh tone of his voice. "Yami, I…I came to talk to you."

   "About what?" He hissed.

   "About, Malik-"

   "I have nothing to say about him." Yami said darkly.

   "Yami you can't kill him!" She shouted before she could stop herself.

   "Who are you to tell me what I can and can not do? You better stay out of this if you know what's good for you!" He barked as he turned to her. 

   Athena cowered back, covering her face. She didn't want Yami to hit her again. But he didn't hit her, instead, he walked away, and kept his back to her. He couldn't look at her, it hurt him too much to see the fear in her eyes when she looked at him. 

   "Yami why are you being like this?" She yelled, "Malik is your best friend!"

   "Why? Why am I being like this?" Yami turned to her, for the first time in days he looked into her jade eyes.

   "Yami I want to know why you are doing this!" She screamed.

   "Because I love you!" He said it. He didn't want to, but he said it. He turned away from her again and covered his face with his hands.

   "Wh-what did you say?" She could hardly believe her own ears.

   "I said, I love you." He walked farther away from her as he spoke those words again. They felt natural when they came out of his mouth.

   "Yami, if you love me, then you wont kill Malik." She stated simply.

   "What's that supposed to mean? It's because I love you that I'm killing him."

   "No Yami, you don't understand. Malik cares about you, and he loves you like a brother. He told me everything."

   Yami's eyes widened. "What do you mean, everything?" Malik didn't give away his secrets did he?

   "He told me about how your father killed his father, and how you always treat him meanly. You know, by always threatening to kill him and stuff." She paused. "Yami, all he wanted was to be accepted by you."

   Yami's heart grew heavy with every word that she spoke. He never knew that Malik was that hurt by his actions. 

   "Well if he felt that way, why didn't he tell me?" 

   "Don't you get it Yami? He's just like you! You never open up to anyone. You keep all your feelings locked up inside so that no one ever knows what to think about you."    

   "Ok fine! I won't kill him! But I'm not doing this for him, I'm doing it for you." Yami brushed past her and walked out of the room, leaving Athena there alone. She smiled a little, at least Malik was going to live now. But her heart still ached, she wanted to be with Yami, even more so now then ever. Now she knew that he loved her, and that made things even worse. Ever since she said she loved him, she was hoping that he would say it, because she thought that it would make her happy. But for some reason it didn't, it only made her feel worse, because now, she loved someone that she couldn't be with.

   So, with a heavy heart she slowly walked back to her room.

Walking in, she saw a stressed looking Anzu sitting on the bed.

   "Athena what happened? Is he going to let Malik live?" She questioned as she jumped to her feat.

   "Yes." Athena stated simply. Although she should have been happy, she really wasn't. Why did Yami have to tell her that he loved her now? It made her want to be with him when she knew that she couldn't.

   "Athena, what's wrong? Did he hit you again?" Anzu asked sounding worried. She scanned over Athena's face, but she didn't see any red marks.

   "No. Actually, the opposite happened. He told me that he loved me." She said sadly.

   "By Ra Athena! Why do you sound so sad? Don't you want him to love you?" Anzu furrowed her brow, this was becoming a little confusing.

   "Yes, I want him to love me. But until today, I never thought that he did. If he would have told me before, this probably would have never happened."

Anzu shot her a look that said 'you can't blame Yami for your actions.'

   Athena, noticing the look that Anzu gave her, continued to explain more thoroughly.

   "I know that kissing Malik was my fault, but what I mean is, I wish Yami would have told me before, because him telling me now only makes me want him more, and I cant be with him." She said sadly as she hung her head.

   "And just why not?" Anzu questioned.

   "Because…because…he doesn't want me anymore!" Athena couldn't take it anymore, she had ruined something so perfect, all over one stupid kiss. "And, I don't blame him."

   "That's just not true, and you know it." Anzu said comfortingly as she patted Athena's back. "If he didn't want you anymore he wouldn't have told you that he loved you." 

    Athena lifted up her head, and her misty jade eyes looked into Anzu's deep brown ones. Maybe she was right, maybe Yami did still want her. 

   "Anzu…do you think he would forgive me?" She sobbed.

   "Athena, Yami loves you; and in time, he will forgive you. I'm not saying it's going to happen over night, but it will happen." Anzu's eyes shifted from Athena to the nightstand that was by the bed. "How about we play a game? You know, to take your mind off things." She said as she opened the drawer and pulled out a Senat board. "Come on Athena, the worst part is over, now all you have to do is give Yami some time." Anzu added, seeing the distressed look on Athena's face. 

   "Ok, ok." Athena sighed, as she shifted her position on the bed.

   "That's better," Anzu smiled, "Now; what color do you want?"

* * *

Yami walked around the palace for a long time; and it wasn't until dusk that he finally made up his mind as to what he was going to do with Malik. Sure, he promised Athena that he wouldn't kill him, but Yami wasn't about to let Malik get away with this. Even if he couldn't kill him, Yami knew exactly what he was going to do. Hurriedly walking back to his chambers, he went to his dresser and pulled out a jeweled dagger that had been given to him by his father. Yami almost never used it. But this was a 'special' occasion, and it was the sharpest dagger around. He placed it securely in its case and slipped it under his sash. Grabbing a lit candle from his dresser top, Yami made his way out of the room and into the dungeon. He walked down the stairs that lead to Malik's cell. Yami hadn't seen or spoken to Malik since the day he first brought him down here.

   Arriving at the bottom, Yami noticed the guard that was standing by Malik's cell.

   "Leave now." Yami ordered him. And with a low bow, the man hurried up the stairs. Yami gazed over at the frail form that was his best friend. Malik sat on the ground, with his arms lifted up over his head, held securely by iron cuffs that were fastened to the wall. He kept his head down low, staring thoughtlessly at the ground. His eyes were glazed over, still the beautiful amethyst that they always were, but so completely empty. Slowly he brought his head up to look at Yami, but he didn't say a word; he thought he was going to die tonight.

   "I know what your thinking, and I'm not going to kill you." Yami hissed. "But that's doesn't mean that you won't be punished." He walked over to Malik and unlocked the wrist cuffs. Malik's arms fell limply to his sides, and he still said nothing. He was slightly relieved that Yami wasn't going to kill him, but now he had to worry about what Yami was going to do to him. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

   "Stand up." Yami barked at him. Malik did so, silently, never looking at Yami. "Malik, what you did is unforgivable, and I'm going to make sure that you live with it for the rest of your life!" Malik's eyes shot open as fear paralyzed his body.

   Yami pulled the dagger out from under his belt with one hand, and with the other, he pushed Malik against the hard stone wall. Malik struggled with him, "Yami, no! What are you going to do!" He yelled. Yami let go of him and Malik tried to move away but before he could, Yami raised his hand and four ropes appeared out of nowhere. They bound Malik to the wall, one on each of his ankles, and one on each of his wrists. He turned his head to see Yami holding the dagger over the candle flame.

   "Yami…please…" Malik groaned as he struggled relentlessly against the ropes.

   "Sorry Malik, I'm going to make sure you never forget what happened, and if you struggle too much…" Yami smiled wickedly, "I'll only cut deeper." Yami walked over to Malik and ripped his shirt off. "It won't hurt a bit." Then, nothing but silence before…

    "Aa-ah!" Malik shut his eyes as tears formed and started rolling down his cheeks. He could feel the hot knife running along his back and piercing his skin, he could feel his warm blood running down his back, he could hear Yami laughing viscously with every deep cut. Malik gritted his teeth hard as he tried desperately not to move. He didn't want Yami to cut any deeper, but the pain was too much, he let out a loud scream of agony as he clenched his fists.

   This only made Yami smile. 

   "Come now, it cant hurt that bad. Toughen up Malik." Yami laughed venomously as he made sure to carve each little hieroglyph slowly and perfectly. He could feel Malik's body contorting under every motion that the blade of the knife made. So Yami cut deeper.

   "Yami…Please…" Malik hissed as he shot his head back, "Just kill me now, please!"

   "No, sorry Malik. I think this is so much more fun. Now if you don't stop moving, I'm going to have to put the knife right through you." Yami joked wickedly.

   Yami brought the knife up to Malik's shoulder blade; a spot that Yami was sure would hurt worse then any.

   "I'm feeling artistic, so I think I'll drawl a little picture Malik."

Yami dug the knife into Malik's shoulder, causing him to scream out in pain. Yami ran the knife along Malik's perfect back, etching deep lines that would soon turn into scars; that to Yami's delight, would never go away. This is what he wanted. He wanted everyone to see what Malik had done.  

   "Yami! Please!" Malik's fists were so tight that his nails were digging into his skin, drawling a little bit of blood. 

    His outcries were so loud that they could be heard throughout the palace. Athena and Anzu heard the cries from their room as they were playing Senat. They knew immediately who it was and followed the shouting into the dungeon. 

   As Athena made the last step and rounded the corner her eyes met with a sight that horrified her beyond words. She saw Yami, standing in front of a bloody Malik who was chained to the wall. She gasped as she watched Yami bring the knife to Malik's back and carve something. She couldn't see what it was because his back was covered with blood. Anzu came up right behind her and she stopped dead in her tracks as she too stared at the horrible scene. The two girls didn't know what to do, Athena was about to march over to Yami and pull the knife right out of his hand, but as soon as Anzu saw what she was about to do, she was quick to grab Athena and hold her back. No telling what Yami would do to her. They just sunk back into the shadows, to wait until it was over. Athena and Anzu cringed at the sounds of torment and agony that came from Malik. Silent tears poured from Anzu's eyes. 

   Finally, after what felt like hours, Yami pulled away from Malik and snapped his fingers. Instantly the ropes disappeared and Malik fell limply to the ground, lying in a pool of his own blood. He wasn't moving, other then the staggered breathing that raised and lowered his back. Athena couldn't take it anymore, before Anzu could stop her, she bounded around the corner and ran at Yami with full force. Yami turned around just in time and he grabbed her wrists before she could swing at him.

   "You monster! How could you do that to your best friend!" She yelled at him, kicking and screaming, tears pouring down her cheeks.

   "What are you doing down here?" He asked her harshly. He didn't even want to think about how much of that she saw. What would she think of him now? He was a monster…

   "Never mind that! How…how could you do such a thing?"

   "I did what I saw fit. It was in my judgement, not yours. This didn't concern you." 

   She pulled her wrists free and whipped around, running back upstairs. Yami stood there for a minute, staring at Malik before he too left the dungeon. 

   Anzu stayed hidden in the shadows until it was safe to come out. Quietly, when she was sure that no one would be coming back she slipped around the corner. Her eyes fell on the gorgeous blonde lying on the floor. Even when he was like this, there was something about Malik that made her heart stop. She ran over to him and knelt on the floor. He was laying face down with his eyes closed. The only noise that could be heard was the heavy intakes of breath from Malik. Blood was still dripping down his back. Anzu knew she had to stop the bleeding, but there was no time for her to run upstairs and get something. So she ripped a big piece of cloth off her dress and wrapped it around him, pressing hard on his back. She heard him hiss a little.

   "Malik," She whispered. "Malik, I'm going to help you."

   He opened his eyes slightly and gave her a weak smile. Who was this girl that was being so kind to him? No one was ever this kind to him. When he opened his eyes a little to see her he thought he was looking at an angle. She was beautiful, and her touch was so gentle.

   "Malik, can you stand?" Anzu asked softly, as she moved a piece of his blonde hair away from his eyes.

   "Yea…I think." He said hoarsely.

   "Please try. You cant stay here all night." She ripped another little piece of cloth off her dress and gently she lifted up Malik's head and began to wipe away some of the blood that was on his face.

   "Thank you…" He whispered.

   "Shh, its ok. Now try and stand up." Anzu helped Malik as best she could. With great effort, Malik stood to his feet, and Anzu placed her arm around his waist, making sure not to touch the deep cuts on his back. "Are you ok?"

   Malik nodded a little. He defiantly wasn't ok, his back hurt like hell, but he was just going to have to grin and bear it.

   Slowly the two made there way out of the dungeon and Anzu lead him to her room. She didn't think it would be to wise to venture to close to Yami's room.   

Holding Malik with one arm, she opened the door to her room. The pair stumbled in awkwardly; Anzu guided him to her bed and gently let go of him, allowing him to lie down. Malik lay on his stomach because his back hurt far too much. But Anzu wasn't done with him, she knew a great deal about wounds and ailments from her grandmother. And she knew that if Malik's back weren't cleaned up it would become infected, and it could kill him.

   "Malik," She whispered softly to him. He opened his eyes again, acknowledging that he heard her. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get some ointment and linen bandages."

   He looked at her as if to wordlessly thank her. Anzu understood his gesture and she smiled warmly at him as she picked up his hand and held it in hers. At that moment, all of his worries seemed to have jumped out the window; even his pain could hardly be felt. Her hands were so soft and gentle; he smiled weakly back at her.

   "Everything's going to be alright, I'll have you fixed up in no time. My grandmother taught me everything she knew about the healing arts." 

  Anzu turned around and walked out of the room to go get her supplies, leaving a bewildered Malik lying broken and bloody on the bed. His mind was spinning; who was she? He didn't even know her name, and to his knowledge she didn't even live in the palace. Well, if she did he had never seen her before. At this moment he wondered why he hadn't noticed a creature as striking as her. In any of his normal moments he would have tried to get her into his bed. But that was before. There was something about this girl, something different in the way that he was more desperate to know her name then to try and sleep with her.

   His thoughts were quickly pushed aside, when he heard someone whisper something. He couldn't make out the words at first; they were muffled and inaudible. He shifted his position, resting his weight on his arms as he turned his head to see where the voice was coming from, but there was no on there. Slowly glancing from one end of the small room to the other, he came to the conclusion that it was because he was going crazy; nobody was there.

   Lying back down on the bed, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying desperately to think about something else other then the pain; but now all he could think about was how much he hated Yami. Malik never imagined that he could hate someone with such a passion, especially Yami. But what had happened tonight had sealed their fate. Nothing would ever be the same between them again.

   Sure, Malik understood that his actions were wrong, but that didn't give Yami the right to act so harshly; even if he was the Pharaoh. 

   You want to kill him. Came a voice from out of nowhere.

Malik's eyes snapped open he lifted his head up again. That was the same voice that he heard a moment ago, he was sure of it. It seemed to echo throughout the room, loud and clear this time.

   "Who's there?" He said to no one. His eyes darted around the room.

   Kill him. Send his body into the darkness. It said.

   "Stop it!" Malik cried, sitting up on the bed; not caring how bad his back hurt. "Go away, whoever you are!"

   No, I can not go away. I will never go away. But if you don't watch your back, you will go away. The evil voice sniggered. 

   Do as I say and-

   "Malik, are you ok?" Anzu asked as she slipped back into the room, carrying some linen bandages and a few medicine bottles. "I thought I heard you yelling."

   "No…no it wasn't me." He hesitated, thinking it best not to tell her that he heard voices. 

   "Ok, just making sure." She said, looking at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. Walking over to Malik she placed the medicine and the bandages on the bed, and walked over to her water basin to wet a rag so that she could clean off the blood on Malik's back. Malik looked apprehensively at the medicine bottles that were lying on the bed next to him. He was sure that this was going to hurt like hell. Anzu sat down on the bed next to him, and noticing the worried look on his face, gave him a few comforting words. 

   "Don't worry, it wont hurt too bad," She said softly. "Now lay back down so I can get you cleaned up."

Malik did as he was told and laid back down on the bed. Gently Anzu took the wet rag and began to wipe away some of the blood. She could feel Malik flinch as she rubbed the rag over his mangled      

back. As the blood began to clear away she could began to see the neat little hieroglyphs that were etched into his flawless skin, she let out a little gasp when she noticed how deep they were carved. 

   "Is it really bad?" Malik questioned when he heard her gasp.

   "Um…kinda."

   "That bastard. I hate him. I hate him so much." Malik growled as he made a fist.

   "Malik, no you don't. You don't hate Yami; he's your best friend. I know what he did was wrong, but you have to forgive him." She said as she continued to wipe away the blood, which was nearly gone by now.

   "Look Miss, I appreciate all that you're doing for me, but you just don't understand."

   Anzu paused for a second as she looked down at him; was he right? She realized that she couldn't even comprehend the pain that Malik was going through right now. Not just the physical pain, but the emotional as well.

   "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude." Malik apologized.

   "No, its ok, you're right, I don't understand. I guess I was just trying to help, that's all." She sighed as she placed the bloody rag down on the floor and picked up a blue vile. "This is going to hurt a lot."

   "What is it?" He questioned as he sat up a little and turned his head to see what she was holding.

   "It's a mixture of honey, natron, and ground up crocodile scales."

   "Eww." He muttered as he furrowed his brow.

   "Yea, well it works," She laughed a little at his reaction. "Now lay back down so I can finish." She grabbed a small piece of linen that she brought in and poured some of the smelly contents of the bottle onto it.

   "Warn me before you put it- Aah, it burns!" Malik hissed a little as he gripped the sheets in between his fists, she put it on his back a lot sooner then he expected.

   "Sorry, but it has to be done." Anzu told him while she was spreading the ointment over his back; being careful not to cause him any more pain then was necessary. She cautiously ran the rag across his shoulder blades, while he cringed with pain. "I'm almost done." 

   "Good…because, it hurts, bad." He whined.

Anzu made a final swipe across his back before she threw the rag to the floor. 

   "Ok, done with that part."

   "That part? You mean there's more?" He asked, sounding uneasy.

   "Yea, but this stuff is going to make you feel better. It's lotus flower extract; quite soothing, and it smells lovely." She opened the bottle and poured the oil into the palm of her hand. Sitting the bottle down, she rubbed her hands together to spread the oil before she placed her hands gently on Malik's back. Cautiously moving her hands up and down, she spread the oil over his entire back. Without even thinking about it, she moved up to his shoulders, near his neck and continued to massage him, even though there were no wounds there.

   A soft moan escaped Malik's lips; he was enjoying this quite thoroughly. Anzu too, was enjoying it a little too much. She climbed on top of him and sat with one leg on each side of his waist, making sure not to touch any of his wounds as she continued to massage his shoulders moving her hands up and down his well-built arms.

   Malik's mind went blank. He forgot about the voice he heard, he forgot about how much he hated Yami, and he even forgot about the pain. The only thing that was on his mind now was how good this girl felt sitting on top of him. But then he remembered; he didn't even know her name.

   "Umm. Miss?" He interrupted, breaking the silence.

   "Yea?" Anzu asked as she let go of his shoulders and sat back on the bed, a little ashamed at how forward she had just been.

   "Well, you've been so kind to me and all; and I don't even know your name."

   "Oh. My name is Anzu."

   "Anzu!?" He said sounding stunned. "You're Bener's granddaughter?"

   "Yea, how'd you know that?" Anzu asked, looking puzzled.

   "When I talked to Athena she told me that Bener had a granddaughter named Anzu, but I didn't think that she would be this beautiful."

   Anzu blushed, and she could feel her face grow hot.

   Malik blushed a little too, he didn't mean to say that out loud. Usually that was some cheesy pickup line that he used on random girls to get them in bed. And it usually worked (not that Malik would have to say anything to get a girl to sleep with him.) But this time, he found himself meaning every word of it. He did find her extremely beautiful. Not only physically, but she was the most caring person that he had ever met. What other complete stranger would risk herself to save him?    

   "Can you sit up for a second? I need to wrap the linen bandages around you." She said, interrupting his thoughts. 

Malik snapped out of his bemused state and nodded softly to her as he slowly sat up on the bed. For a brief moment, Anzu found it hard to breathe. The most gorgeous being that she had ever laid eyes on was sitting on her bed; shirtless. Shaking her head a little she proceeded to wrap the bandages around him, coming rather close to him a couple of times as she reached behind his back to pull the linen straps around him.

   When she had finished, and the bandages were wrapped tightly around his body, she stood up from the bed, walked over to the corner of the room, grabbed a chair, pulled it over to the bed and sat down.

   "What are you doing?" Malik asked curiously.

   "Well, I'm not going to kick you out." She stated simply as she tried her best to get comfortable.

  Malik stared at her for the longest time before he spoke up "I'm not poison you know." Malik said as he shot her an irresistible glance and scooted over in the bed. Anzu blushed uncontrollably as she turned away for a second. Should she? All her moral dignity told her no. But before she had a second chance to think about it, she got up from the chair and slipped under the sheets of her bed. How could she say no? She turned around to look at Malik. As she stared into his amethyst eyes, she felt no need for moral dignity anymore. There was something about his god like appearance and his creamy, sensual voice that made her want to do things that she never before dreamed about. She flushed at the thought; she barely knew him.

   "There, that's better." Came the wonderful sound of Malik's voice next to her. "Are you comfortable?" He asked. "Because if you're not I can leave."

   "No." She said abruptly. That would be the last thing that she wanted. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I don't think that you should be alone tonight…you know…just incase." 'Nice excuse Anzu.' She told herself.

   "Well if you're sure." He smiled a little closing his eyes.

Anzu gazed out her little window to see the sun rising. It was dawn, and unlike the Pharaoh she couldn't sleep until whenever she wanted, so she tried her best to fall asleep. But it took a while because she was a bit preoccupied with the gorgeous man that was lying next to her. After a while though, her eyes became heavy and she was overcome with sleep. 

Yea…the wrath of the write-too-much girl was kinda dampened this weekend by Isabel…no power…no writing…you got lucky this time…but……count your blessings….muwahahahaha.


	9. A New Threat

Warning: Towards the end this chapter it gets semi graphic…but I don't want to give out too many details and spoil it for you…just a fair warning so I don't get in trouble…

                                              *A New Threat*

   Malik woke up to find himself lying on the cold ground. Sitting up slowly, he looked around and noticed that he wasn't in Anzu's room anymore. In fact, he wasn't even in the palace anymore. There was and endless stream of darkness that could only be one place; the shadow realm.

   When he was awake enough to realize where he was, he immediately thought that Yami had brought him here for some reason. What nobody knew was that Malik was Yami's safe guard, the unknown person who had the power to open the shadow realm. But Malik had only been here once; to accept the power, and he hadn't been back since.

   "Yami, what do you want? Why did you bring me here?" He asked nastily. He was a little bit frightened though, because as harsh and cruel as Yami could be in the mortal realm, it was nothing compared to what he could do in the shadow realm.

"Yami didn't call you hear, I did." 

Malik whipped his head around to come face to face with…someone. He couldn't see the man's face because he was standing in the shadows. 

   Malik narrowed his eyes as he stood up; not sure what to make of this guy, he thought the voice sounded familiar, but he wasn't exactly sure where he had heard it before. 

   "How did you get in here?" Malik snapped. "Who are you?"

   The man smiled wickedly as he sniggered. His laugh sent a chill up Malik's spine. 

   "I've always been here." He sneered. "You should know me very well."

   "No, I'm afraid I don't know you." Malik said as he glanced down, observing a golden rod gripped tightly by the man. It had the symbol of the Pharaoh on the end of it, the millennium eye. "Why don't you show your face?"

It seemed as though the man was waiting for this and without hesitation he took a few steps forward, smiling slyly. Malik gasped as he gazed at…himself? His robes were as black as his surroundings and his hair was far spikier then even Yami's. He looked like pure evil, and he had a glowing millennium eye on his forehead. Instantly Malik felt a cold wave sweep over him, as if he had just jumped into the coldest ocean, he quivered slightly. 

   "Is that better?" The man asked as he walked closer to Malik, smiling when he saw the reaction of fear on Malik's face. This was exactly what he wanted.

   Malik took a step back; he didn't want to get too close to this man, whoever he was. Malik didn't quite know what to make of this man; he looked like himself, a little. 

   "I'll ask one more time, who are you?" Malik said, not taking his eyes off the man, he didn't trust him one bit.

   "Why, you mean you don't recognize me?" The man shook his head in an exaggerated form of disgust. "Malik, I'm you."

   "Shut the hell up, bastard!" Malik paused for a second, now he remembered, this was the voice he heard earlier. "You're not me, you may look like me, a little, but you are nothing like me, you are just pure evil." 

   The man smiled at those words as if they were a complement. He walked right up to Malik and gripped his chin roughly.

   "Poor, foolish Malik." He whispered, as he drew his face in closer. Malik just starred at him, he could feel his anger growing. "I am you, that is certain. I am the dark side, the side that has been locked up in the shadow realm for centuries. But now, no one can hear my voice, but you. And it's all thanks to Yami. He set me free. Thanks to him, I can come back and take what's rightfully mine."

   Malik pulled his face away and stepped back, shaking his head.

   "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you won't get away with this. Yami will kill you, you can be sure of that."

   Malik jumped a little when the man laughed hysterically.

   "Malik, he can not kill me, nor can you, or anybody else. I am but a shadow, a dark spirit. But…I have my ways of getting what I want." He smiled as he looked down at his golden staff and rubbed the top with his index finger. Noticing Malik looking at the staff with a worried expression, he smiled a little.

   "Your fear excites me Malik. But don't worry, I don't plan on using this on you…yet." He narrowed his eyes as he licked his lips. "You will be of use to me in other ways. I want to cause Yami as much pain as possible." 

   "No. You bastard!" Malik charged toward him, but the man faded away, and reappeared behind him. Malik turned around to see the man with a smug look on his face.

   "Come now Malik, is that all you've got?" He teased as he folded his arms. " I could kill you right now you know, I would enjoy that thoroughly. But I have to control myself, because what I have planned is far worse, and I need you to execute my plan."

   "I don't know what your thinking, but I will never help you."

   "Oh, I'm afraid you won't have a choice. I'm going to break every body using you, then when I'm done, I can have my way with you…not exactly sure what I'm going to do to you, however I'm sure I will enjoy it fully." The man lowered his gaze penetrating Malik's heart and he shuddered. Noticing this the evil one smiled again.

   "Yes, be afraid, I love it when you cower, I know your thoughts and your deepest fears, and I will be sure that you experience every one of them, until you're begging for mercy."

   Malik clenched his fists as he to narrowed his eyes. This guy was really pissing him off. Whatever his demented reasoning was; Malik was going to make sure that this freak didn't hurt anyone he cared about. Athena, Anzu…Yami.

   "Ah, I see, you want me to leave your friends alone." He said venomously. "Well well, that gives me an idea."

   "I won't let you! If you try anything I'll catch you, even if I can't kill you, I will make sure you don't touch them!" He yelled

   "Shut up fool. You won't be able to stop me! I'll make sure of that."    

"Malik! Malik are you ok?" Came a familiar voice. Malik whipped around expecting to see Anzu but found no one. He turned his head to see an angry looking evil spirit.

   "She'll pay for waking you up." He stated simply before snapping his fingers and vanishing.

   "You leave her alone!" Malik yelled out into the darkness, but he felt the darkness slipping away, and his body started to feel heavy, and before he knew it, he was back in the room laying on the bed with a worried looking Anzu gazing at him.

   "Malik what's wrong? You were tossing and turning." She asked.

   "It's nothing, I just had a nightmare." He lied, faintly, he could hear the wicked laugh of the evil spirit, and he tried to ignore it because he didn't want to scare Anzu, evidently the spirit was right, because Anzu didn't hear the laugh.  

   "Are you sure?"

Malik nodded a little.

   "Ok then." She said as she got up from the bed. "Sorry but I have to go. It's morning and I've got work to do, if I don't go now my grandma will kill me." She walked out the door, but quickly popped her head back in. "I'll come in later to check on your back."

   "Thank-" 

But before he could finish, she rushed away.

   "Huh, she must be in a hurry to do work." He said to himself as he lay back down on his stomach, resting his head on his hands. His back still hurt, but the pain was ten times less then what it was last night, he was extremely grateful for what Anzu did, or else he might still be laying down in the dungeon slowly bleeding to death. 

   He closed his eyes and blew a piece of hair out of his face. Was what he had last night just a dream? Now he wasn't sure, it seemed so real, and the evilness of that man was still fresh in his memory, every word that he had said played over and over again in his mind.

   It wasn't a dream Malik. Came the haunting utterance.

   "No! Go away, I don't have to listen to this shit!" Malik yelled as he sat up on the bed.

   Who was that woman? She's quite beautiful. 

That was the last straw for Malik.

   "That's it bastard, if you touch her, you'll regret it!"

  Don't be so cocky Malik. It's you that will be regretting 

everything if you try and get in my way. All I want to do is enslave her, make her my prisoner so that she can satisfy my sensual indulgence. He sniggered a little. Yes Malik, get mad, this is good. You care about her don't you? Well then, I think I will hurt her, yes, I'll make her suffer. Every night before I ravish her into submission, I'll hurt her. Tie her to the floor, and have sex with her until her body breaks. It will be a never-ending cycle, until one day when I tire of her, and then I will slowly kill her. 

   "You bastard, you will never get her! Leave her alone." Malik was so angry now that he felt as if he would go insane. He felt as if this was all his fault, this crazy evil spirit was going after everyone he cared about and there was nothing that he could do about it.

   Malik, you don't understand the satisfaction and the pleasure of pain. I love the darkness, the pain and the suffering, and I love people to experience it with me. The spirit lowered his voice into an almost growl. Ore wa yami no daisuki da ne. 

   "Please, please just leave them out of this. You want me right? Well then take me, you can do what you want with me. Just please don't hurt them." Malik didn't know what else to do now other then beg. He had tried force, but that only brought the spirit pleasure.

Yes, plead for your friends. Your pain is beautiful Malik. All of your sufferings…they bring me satisfaction. He paused. But the pain of watching your friends die right in front of you is so irresistible to me. The spirit nearly moaned with pleasure. I can't wait to see it. 

   Malik put his head in his hands, he didn't want to show sorrow, because he knew that the spirit would revel in it, but he didn't know what else to do. He closed his eyes and sighed, and he heard the spirit chuckle slightly.

   This is what I love Malik. 

Slowly Malik lowered his hands and showed no expression on his face.

   Oh no, don't stop, this is amazing. He wined, sounding slightly disappointed.

  "Just go away, bastard." Malik said emotionlessly.

   As you wish, but I'll be back, I promise you that, and you wont know what hit you. 

   Malik sat in silence for a while, and when he didn't hear the taunting voice of the spirit, Malik assumed that he flew off for parts unknown. 

  This was really becoming scary, this spirit, whoever he was, was extremely morbid, insane, and just plain evil. However, Malik didn't feel the need to bring anyone into this, he didn't want to scare anyone, after all, maybe he was going crazy.

He could only hope.

* * *

 Athena sat silently on the bed of her temporary room in silence. She glanced out the window and noticed that morning had finally come. All night, her thoughts were drawn to Yami and the scene she had witnessed in the dungeon. Everything, from the look of hatred in Yami's eyes, to the horrible sounds of torment that came from Malik was still fresh in her memory. It had kept her awake all night; it got her to thinking.

   Resting her head on her knees she bit her bottom lip as she thought long and hard about what she was going to do. It had taken her all night, but she had finally come to the conclusion that she was going to leave him.

   It was the hardest decision that she had ever had to make, but she decided that it was for the best. After all, there was no way that Yami loved her anymore, even if he said he did. Then again, it was those three words that kept her here until today. Had he not said it when he did, she would have already left, coming to the conclusion that Yami would never love her no matter what. But that wasn't the case; he said it, as far as she could tell, he meant it, and there was no going back from there. So she decided that she would leave in the night, when she wouldn't have to worry about running into anybody. She didn't want to have to say goodbye; it would be too hard. 

* * *

Seth walked down the passageway that lead from his room, past the Pharaoh's and to the room where he knew Athena was staying. Unlike most people in the palace, he knew that Yami and Athena were no longer in the same room. He was ready to take full advantage of this. There would be no Yami around to protect her. He stopped as he approached the door, and leaned against the wall, folding his arms and grinning malevolently. Seth glanced up and down the corridor, observing everything. He wanted nothing to go wrong, or this would cost him his life. Finally, when he had staked out the area, he decided to wait until nighttime, when there would be little to no activity around the hallways, and he could slip in and out unnoticed.

   Moving away from the wall, he swiftly walked back to where he came from, hardly able to wait until tonight.

   "You'll be mine soon woman." He whispered to himself. 

* * *

Seto silently walked past the golden shrine to Amun as Yami closed the wooden doors.

 This was the usual morning routine, and it had been this way ever since the temple had been restored. But Seto had been noticing changes in Yami. His usual enthusiasm for the newly restored religion had vanished and it had been replaced with bitterness. When Seto had first met him, he could see an unusual spark of life and youthfulness in Yami's eyes, but that to had disappeared and in its place stood an empty stare. Yami no longer walked with confidence, he no longer had that zest of youthfulness, instead, he seemed to sulk around and avoided talking to anyone at all costs.

   As the three men left the inner sanctuary Seto glanced at Bakura, who just nodded and left the two alone.

   For a while, Seto and Bakura had been debating over whether or not one of them should try and talk to Yami. Seto remembered all to well what had happened the last time he tried to confront Yami about his problems all those months ago. Finally though, it had been decided that it was better to risk it then to see Yami like this.

   Clearing his throat Seto tried to start up a conversation. 

   "So, Yami…we haven't talked much lately, how's life?"

But that was the wrong question to ask. Immediately Yami snapped his head in Seto's direction and glared at him.

  Seto took a swift step back, trying to avoid what he thought was about to become a painful punch in the nose.

   However, Yami didn't hit Seto, instead he kept on walking, leaving Seto behind for a moment. But Seto quickly caught up with him and they walked along in awkward silence until Seto thought of a conversation that was sure to go all right, or so he thought.

   "How's…what's her name again, oh yea Athena? How is-" Seto's voice trailed off. Evidently Seto had no idea what had occurred over the last week; then again, almost nobody had any idea of what happened. If you were to ask any servant in the palace, all that they would be able to tell you would be that Yami was in a bad mood and that they heard someone screaming in the dungeon last night.

   Yami looked at the opposite wall of the temple as he stopped walking. He looked at it for a while before he turned to Seto, who had also stopped walking.

   "To answer your first question, Seto. The past week has been hell for me. I have never felt this much pain in my life." Yami paused as he thought about what he just said. He remembered how he felt when he was little, all the pain that he went through, and he had come to the conclusion that this pain was by far the worst he had ever experienced.

 At that statement, Seto felt his breath catch in his throat. He remembered the story that Yami had told him about his past, and he remembered how much pain Yami was in, was this really that bad?

 "As for your second question. I have no idea how she is. I have no idea where she is. For all I care she's laying in some man's bed somewhere far away from here." He snapped. But that was the last thing he wanted. He loved her, and he wanted to be with her right now. But he knew that that could never be. He knew that she wouldn't want to be with him anymore. No matter how angry he was with her in the beginning, he still loved her, and nothing he could do or say would ever change that. After last night he was sure that she had left the palace…how could she not after that horrible display? She probably thought he was some kind of monster.

   Noticing the look on Yami's face, Seto frowned.

   "Yami, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're lying to me." He stated matter of factly as he folded his arms.

   "I'm not lying, this week has been hell for me." Yami growled.

   "Oh, I believe that Yami, it's the last part that I'm having trouble believing."

   Yami took one look at him and then glanced away. Was it that obvious? Seto could read him like a book, so there was no point in arguing. For Yami, this was the breaking point.

   "Seto, I love her. I never wanted any of this to happen, if I could, I would take it all back, I would have never hit her. Everything that I have done haunts me, it eats away at my soul…or what I have left of it."

   "Woah, Yami slow down, what are you talking about, you hit her?" Seto was totally clueless.

   "Never mind, I don't feel like talking about it." Yami sighed as he began to walk again.

   Seto stood in silence for a moment before he spoke up.

   "Yami!" He shouted to him.

Yami turned around and glanced at Seto as he stood at the exit of the temple.

   "Yami, whatever happened, if you love her, you have to try and make things up, if you don't…you'll regret it." Seto turned and walked back into the dank inner sanctum of the temple, leaving Yami standing in the doorway, extremely perplexed at Seto's words of edification. He knew Seto was right, and he wanted so bad to tell her he was sorry. His initial feelings of hatred toward her had vanished, and they were replaced with a longing to be with her again. And he knew that the only way that this could happen would be for him to go to her, that is, if she was still at the palace.

   Without thinking he turned around and bolted out of the temple, down the hill and back up to the palace. He had to do it, before it was too late, if it wasn't too late already. 

But Yami was only human, and he had human anxieties. When he approached his room and was about to use his magic to find her, he suddenly felt his nerves run wild. What would he say when he found her? Would she want to be with him anymore?

    Yami decided that he should go about this in a cautious way, he would have to think long and hard about what he was going to say. But this time he had no one to help him, no Malik, no Bener, just himself. So he decided that he would wait until nighttime, that should give him enough time to figure out what to say.

   Shutting the door to his room he slumped over to his bed and flopped down, covering his eyes with his hands and sighing heavily.

   This was going to take some time.    

The day moved by far faster then Yami would have wished, but night came and it was time for him to try his best to get Athena back. He paced around his room, deciding to give himself and hour or so. It was only dusk, and he wanted to wait until nightfall.

* * *

   Malik glanced out Anzu's window and noticed that the sun was setting. Anzu made him stay in bed all day and he was dying of boredom. His back hardly hurt at all, thanks to the medicine that she frequently gave him, and he didn't see why he couldn't just get up and take a stroll outside, but Anzu had strongly advised against it, so he listened to her. 

  His day went by rather uneventfully, other then the crazy man he had dreamed about, but he had made up his mind that it was just a dream, brought on by Ra knows what that was in that medicine Anzu gave him.

   Suddenly Malik felt a slight pain in his head. He placed his fingertips to his temple and massaged it gently. The pain came out of nowhere and it began to escalate. He sat up a little bit, groaning slightly at the dull pain that was becoming stronger by the second. It moved all around his head, starting from the front, and moving its way back.

   "Oww." He hissed, sitting straight up in the bed.

   Does it hurt Malik? 

   "By the Gods! Its you; you aren't real, just go away!" Malik yelled out as he grabbed the back of his head.

   Malik, I'm very real, and I'm ready to execute part of my 

plan. The man laughed wickedly. Without warning a pain shot through Malik's entire body, causing him to wither up in agony as he screamed loudly. Tears formed in his eyes as he shut them tightly and gritted his teeth. His body twisted and turned under the immense pain.

He screamed out loud again, but his voice began to change, it became deeper, and more menacing. He shot up on the bed, and stepped off, blindly stumbling around the room as he gripped his head. The pain was unrelenting and he had no idea what was happening to him, he felt as if he was going to explode.

   You have a strong will Malik. But save yourself some pain and stop resisting! The spirit yelled.

   "What…are you…d-doing?" Malik hissed.

   Hum. I warned you Malik, but too late now. 

Instantly, the pain that Malik felt multiplied tenfold, and he fell to his knees, yelling.

   In a few moments time, Malik's hair stood on end and a millennium eye glowed brightly on his forehead. He was no longer Malik.

   "I told you not to try and stop me you fool." The man said to no one. "Your body is mine now, so I can do what I want with it. I hope you find your accommodations in the shadow realm comfortable." The spirit laughed.

"I find it easier to accomplish my business when I have a human host." He lowered his head and glared at the door. Now that he had taken over Malik's body, he could almost be mistaken for Malik, other then the spiky hair and the millennium eye on his forehead, the two were indistinguishable. But there was one other thing the spirit had that Malik didn't. Magic. And he was more then willing to use it. Slowly walking out of the room, he glanced down the left hallway, and then to the right. He knew exactly where he had to go.  

* * *

   Night had fallen; a slight breeze blew around the palace causing it to be slightly cooler then most nights. Many of the servants had retired for the night as all their work was done.

   This was what Seth had waited for all day, and now it was time. Walking to his door and glancing down the hallways, he noticed that they were empty. This was as good a time as any to carry out his plan, so reaching for a cape that was on his wall, he put it on and left his room.

* * *

   Athena had spent most of her day having second thoughts on her ideas of leaving. But after reflecting on it all day, she made up her mind that it had to be done. Nighttime had come far faster then she would have liked, because she was in no rush to leave. But it came and so without hesitation she took one step outside of her room, and she felt a cold hand grasp her around her mouth and nose pulling her back behind the door with astounding force. Her immediate reaction was to try and scream, but his hand only muffled her attempt and she found it hard to breathe because the cold hand was covering her nose and mouth. 

   Fear paralyzed her body and her mind was not functioning correctly, however, she managed to bring her free hand up; for the other he held tightly behind her back; and grab his arm, desperately trying to free herself from his powerful grip. But it was no use, he was too strong. She thought that she could hear her aggressor laughing quietly at her attempt to free herself. 

   Athena was struggling with him with all of her might as she was trying to free herself but she felt herself becoming weak, she felt as if her efforts were in vain because the more she struggled the tighter his grip became until it was almost painful. It was harder for her to take in air, and she faintly remembered him blindfolding her and dragging her somewhere before she totally blacked out. 

* * *

Some time later Athena awoke. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw nothing but black; she was still blindfolded. Her breathing was heavy and her head was pounding, as well as her heart. Athena's panic ran sky high when she remembered what had happened before she was knocked out. Her memory was coming back to her and she remembered someone strong grabbing her when she stepped out of her room. She remembered that she struggled, and then…she wound up here. 

   Staying as quiet as possible; for she didn't want whoever it was to come back; she tried to sit up, but found that something was holding her back. Pulling harder, she heard the clink of metal. Realizing that she was chained to the floor, she decided that it would be impossible for her to escape on he own. Sighing she lowered her head back down on the cold, hard floor, her movement was extremely limited, for her ankles were also chained. She took in a deep, unsteady breath and remained quiet. Maybe whoever it was, was waiting for her to wake up, so if she pretended to still be knocked out, maybe he wouldn't come.

   But little did she know that he was standing behind her the whole time, silently watching her struggle. He smiled to himself. 'Yes woman, struggle for all you're worth. But you will be mine before the nights over, and there is nothing Yami can do about it.'

   With a wicked grin on his face he moved forward, out of the shadows. Athena heard the footsteps and her breath caught in her throat. Before she could think about what she was doing, she found herself calling for help.

   "Help! Help! Someone please he-"

   She was cut off abruptly as the cold hand quickly wrapped around her face, silencing her desperate pleas.

   "I wouldn't scream if I were you." He cautioned as he knelt beside her. This was the first time that she heard the voice of the man who took her. Athena tried to think of where she had heard the voice before, but it was unfamiliar to her.

   "If you promise not to scream, I'll let go of you." Said the man.

She nodded her head in silent agreement, and he removed his hand, sniggering to himself.

   Athena lay in silence for a while, and the steady drip, drip of water could be heard somewhere in the distance. She had no idea where she was, or even if she was still in the palace for that matter. Her heart grew cold, she hated everything about this man, from his voice to his cold touch. He was just plain evil, and she so wished that he would just let her go, even for a minute. She just wanted to cause him as much physical pain as possible 

   "W- who are you?" She stammered nervously as she turned her head to the right. "Why have you brought me here?" She almost knew the answer to that question, but she was too frightened to admit what he might do to her. 

   "You needn't worry about that my pet. There are far worse things to be concerned about." He laughed a wicked laugh that made Athena shudder. She never remembered hearing a voice so full of wickedness, and at the same time, was filled with desire.

   "What do you want from me?" She asked with courage. Athena wasn't the type to give up her dignity without a fight. She had a kind of spirit that took crap from no one, and she hated being taken advantage of. 

   "What do I want?" He repeated. "My dear, what I want is far more than you alone can give me."

   Athena was slightly confused at that statement. What did he want? At this point, she hadn't the faintest idea of what he was up to.

   "What I want…well, lets just say that you are a step along the way for me to receive what I desire. But, right now, what I desire, is you." He knelt down beside her yet again, and ran his finger across her smooth face. Athena just wouldn't have this, she didn't want him to touch her, he repulsed her, so she snapped at his finger. This only pleased him.

   "My, my, what a wild one you are." He paused as he brushed a piece of hair out of her face. Leaning in closer, until he was only inches away from her lips he whispered, "I shall truly have fun taming you." He brought his tongue out and ran it across her lips before he pulled away.

   "No! Don't touch me." She spat as she jerked her head in the other direction. He sickened her, and she shuddered a little as she tried to get rid of the taste in her mouth.

   "What? Don't touch you?" He asked mockingly. 

Athena stayed silent.

   "Why, what are you going to do?"

Again, she didn't answer.

   "Exactly. Nothing. Nobody can help you, no one can hear you, and if you want to leave alive, you better do as I say."

   "I'd rather die then let you have your way with me!" She shot back.

   "That can be arranged!" He yelled, sounding slightly agitated.

 Athena closed her eyes under the blindfold, and a tear ran down her cheek.

   'Yami.' Her mind begged for him.

   Looking at her, the man noticed her tears, and he was delighted.

   "Are you crying my sweet?" He could hardly hide his triumph. "Are you in pain? Does your heart hurt?"

   Athena didn't answer him; she didn't want to admit defeat. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he terrified her. 

   But he already knew.

   "Are you scared of the dark?" He closed his eyes and licked his lips, he could tell her innermost thoughts and fears. "Yes, yes you are like a child, afraid of the dark, and afraid of being alone." Athena noticed something different about his voice as he spoke; he sounded almost…aroused.

   "Well my dear, don't fret, you are not alone." He paused. "I'm here." 

   "Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better." She replied harshly.

   "Oh, come now, I'm not that bad, am I?"

   "Humph."

   The man chuckled, slightly amused by Athena's efforts to remain calm, when he knew that at any moment, she would break.

  "Stop struggling with it." He muttered to her.

  "I'm not struggling, what the hell are you talking about?" She asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.

   "You are afraid of me, I can feel it. You shudder when I talk; tremble when I come near. There is no need to hide your emotions from me. You hate to be alone and you hate the dark. I could remove the blindfold, but I assure you that it is just as dark without it." He walked behind her knelt down and put his hands on her head, as if he were going to remove the blindfold. But something immediately changed his mind.

   "On second thought, I think I'll leave it on, because I'm going to light a single torch so that I can see your amazing body." The man said wickedly.

   Within seconds Athena heard the unmistakable crackle of flames, and she could see a faint glow through her dark blindfold. 

"There, much better."

She heard him walk over to the wall and place the torch in its holder, and then walk close to her again. Her heart was beating fast again, and she started to breathe loudly without even realizing it.

   He grinned as he looked down at her from where he was standing.

   "You are amazingly beautiful, Athena."

   "How did you know my name?" She asked curiously, this must be someone she had met before if he knew her name.

   "Never mind that, you've got more important things to be worried about."

Athena tilted her head up when she thought she heard something click, it sounded like a…

   "No what are you doing?! Leave me alone!" She screamed when she felt something cold and sharp press tightly against her neck.

   "Shh, shhh. Hush my sweet, I'm not going to kill you, this is merely a warning, because if you don't cooperate fully, I will." He moved the blade gently across her neck, all the while Athena nervously held her breath, making sure not to make one false move. "Don't make me use it." He warned. "Because I wouldn't like to kill you, just yet."

   He removed the knife from her neck and slipped it away.

  "W-what are you going to do?" Her voice was hoarse, and she found it notably hard to talk.

   "Don't worry about it." He smirked as he ran his fingers along her collarbone. She recoiled slightly, but she could move too far because of the chains.

   "Please…" She shut her eyes tightly, trying to escape mentally. Trying to do anything she could to stop thinking about him touching her.

   "Are you begging me Athena?" Came the excited voice.

   "I…yes." She had given in. It was hopeless, she had lost her will to fight, she didn't care anymore about her dignity, she just didn't want him to touch her or to hurt her. This was exactly what he was waiting for.   

   "Go on and beg. Plea for your life, plead for all you are worth." He closed his eyes and sighed. 'You are simply irresistible when you are helpless.'

   Athena frowned, this guy was crazy. She didn't know what to do anymore. If she struggled it mad him happy, if she begged, it only made him happier. He frightened her beyond her wits, but she tried not to show it anymore.

   "What's wrong my sweet? Was it something I said?" He joked maliciously. When she said nothing, he merely laughed, an evil laugh, which she tried her best to ignore.

   "You can hide your fear from me Athena. I can taste it, I can feel it." He moved his fingers down from her neck, in between her breasts and trailed them down her stomach. Her breath caught in her throat as he made his way down her leg and under her dress and he felt her. She closed her eyes and wished with all her might that someone would come, but knowing that no one would.

   Without warning he drove his fingers into her, causing her to cry out. It hurt, yet at the same time it felt good. Steadily, and against her will he moved them in and out of her. She cringed and she could feel tears rolling down her cheeks.

   He noticed this and moved his face up to her face.

   "There, there now, it's not that bad." He whispered into her ear. Then he took his tongue and licked up the side of her face, wiping up the tears.

   She moved her head away a little as she cried.

   "I promise it will feel better." He said calmly. Then he drove his fingers in deeper. She tried to stay silent, but a faint moan escaped her lips.

   He smiled, "See, I told you."

   "No." She moaned softly. "No, I-hate…you. Please, stop. Please." Her pleas were in vain, and it only brought him more satisfaction.

   "Ok." He pulled his fingers out and stood up.

Athena was still breathing heavy, but over her deep intakes of breath she heard the faint click of a knife again.

   "No! Wait, I didn't do anything, please!" But when she expected to find the knife against her throat, she felt him grab her dress sleeves and cut them with the knife. 'No, please Ra no.'

   After he cut her dress straps he slowly slipped the dress down and removed it from Athena, leaving her naked.

   She shivered because of the cold damp air that was hitting her bare skin, and also because she almost knew what was coming next.

   Athena felt him climb on top of her, but thankfully he was still clothed.

The man ran his hands up her sides and onto her breasts massaging them. 

   She shook her head, trying not to think about how good it felt, because all she could think about was how much she hated him. Athena felt ashamed for letting herself enjoy the feeling, because she didn't want to enjoy it.

   The man sensed her inner conflict and he chuckled softly, this was exactly what he wanted. So instead of relenting, he wanted to escalate her pleasure.

   He lowered himself down and gently began to suck on her breasts, biting them gently and then sucking to lessen the pain.

  Athena bit her lip, desperately trying not to make a noise. The anguish was emanating from her face, as he looked up at her from his position.

   "This feels good doesn't it Athena?"

She shook her head no. It did, but she didn't want it to.

   "No?" He said, trying to sound shocked, but he knew what she was thinking.

   "Well then, maybe there is something else I have to do." He pulled away from her and stood up.

   Athena listened for the click of the knife, but when she didn't hear it she almost sighed with relief. Until she heard a sound that frightened her even more. 

   She heard his robes fall gently to the floor.

   "No, wait, please don't do this." She whined, struggling against her bindings with all her might. She yanked at the chains that held her wrists, trying franticly to slip out of them. It didn't work; she was bound too tightly.

   "Athena, please don't struggle, you'll only make it worse." He said softly to her as he once again lowered himself on top of her.

   Athena flinched at the feel of his naked skin on hers. It was nothing like the way she felt when Yami's body was on top of her.

   "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll enjoy this." He said, "Well, if you don't, I know I will."

   "Please don't…" Was her final plea before he forced himself into her.

   "A-ah!" She cried out with sheer anguish. Her eyes shot open as tears began to build up in her eyes. The pain was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was unrelenting. He was harsh in his movements and he didn't slow down. The feeling was the complete opposite of what she felt with Yami. He was gentle and soft. This man rammed himself into her, until she felt as if her body would break. 

   This was exactly what he wanted, and he forced himself in deeper, against her will. He brought his lips to hers and began to kiss them. 

   Athena didn't kiss him back, she kept her lips shut tightly.

Slightly agitated, the man bit her lip hard. When she opened her mouth to yell out, he forced his tongue in.

  She would have bit his tongue, but she was afraid of what he would do to her if she did. Instead, she allowed him to kiss her, and roam his tongue around her mouth, but she refused to kiss him back.

   Becoming more aggravated he pulled away from her lips, raised his hand and whipped it across her face.

   "See what you get woman." He hissed. "Don't aggravate me or worse will happen."

   She felt her face grow hot and her body surge with anger. Suddenly she felt him grip her arms tightly, so tight that it was painful.

    "Ouch, let go of me!"

He merely smirked as he tightened his hold and continued, speeding up slightly. He was enjoying every second of this. From the way that Athena was crying out beneath him, to how amazing she felt as he ravished her into submission. 

   Athena's body hurt more then ever, she felt as if he would never stop.

He dug his nails into her skin, just to cause her more discomfort. He smiled when he heard her moan with pain. He was far from done with her body; this wasn't the only thing that he wanted to do to her. He wanted to break her, he wanted to beat and torment her, worse then what he was doing now. She was like a fawn, and he was the hunter storming across the desert in a chariot, bow in hand. There was no escape for her.

   With one final and extremely painful thrust, he pulled out of her, but not before he kissed her again.

   Standing up and putting his clothes back on he could hear the soft cries coming from Athena as she lay broken and exhausted on the floor. Her body glistened with sweat, even though the air was chilly.

   "Tired Athena?" He asked her, knowing the answer. He was ready for more, but he knew he had to control himself.

But she did not answer him. She merely gasped for air as her naked body shivered.

   "Hum, I'm having trouble deciding what to do with you next." He said to her as he knelt down again.

   What he did next surprised her. He took the key and unlocked the cuffs that bound her to the floor.  

   For the first time in hours, she sat up. Her whole body ached though, and she fell back down to the ground, utterly exhausted. Between the mix of fear and pain, it was hard for her to do anything. She knew her efforts to escape would be haltered because she could hardly sit up, and he would surely catch up to her in no time.

   "What's the matter Athena? Don't you want to leave?" He asked as he unlocked her ankles. She heard him walk over to a water source and extinguish the only torch. "You can remove your blindfold you know."

   She didn't know it she wanted to, she was afraid of what she might see, but reluctantly she reached around and slipped it off her head.

   Blinking a couple of times, she realized that it was just as dark with the blindfold off as it was with it on.  However, she noticed a faint glow coming from behind her. Was it another light? Slowly, she sat up and turned her head around, and what her eyes saw horrified her.

   It was a glowing eye, she recognized it as the millennium eye, which everyone in Egypt could identify. The golden glow illuminated a pair of eyes, which stared at her. The were the most evil eyes she had ever seen

 "What's wrong my pet? I don't scare you, do I?" He said as he walked to her and knelt down. He softly lifted her chin up and for the first time Athena gazed into the eyes of her captor. They were an empty, soulless gray. She couldn't see anything else about him though because they were in total darkness, which also scared her, she didn't have any idea where she was, or who else could be lurking in the shadows.

   "You're afraid, aren't you? I can feel your body tremble." He moaned as he placed his other hand on her hip. She pulled away abruptly, now she didn't have anything to restrict her movement.

   He was angered, so he gripped her by the hair and threw her onto the hard stone floor.  

   "Woman you have no idea…" But the evil one stopped his sentence as he looked down at her. His vision was accustomed to the dark, and he could see things that others couldn't. He saw a little bit of blood dripping down the side of her face. He smiled softly as he bent down, picked up her robes and walked over to her. 

   Athena swiftly pushed herself away from him, but it made no difference. Kneeling down, he handed her the ripped clothing as he slid some hair away from her face. She quickly slipped the dirty wet linen over her body and held it up with her hands. Looking at the small wound he moved in closer and licked up some of the blood.

   "Mmm, you taste amazing." He whispered.

She saw him close his eyes, for his eyes were the only thing that she could make out because they were illuminated by the millennium eye.

   "I want to taste more of you."

Before she knew what was coming the man stood up and with one swift movement his foot met her stomach with brutal force. It knocked the wind out of her as she fell back and hit something hard. She assumed it was the wall, she heard a snap and then a terrible pain emitted from her chest. Choking, Athena brought her hand up to her mouth catching the blood that she coughed out.

   Chuckling he walked to her yet again, knelt down and kissed her, gently sucking on her bottom lip, savoring the taste of her blood. But it was not enough. He clamped his jaw down hard on her lip as a yell escaped her lips. He lapped up the fresh blood eagerly. Then after his thirst was satisfied, he pulled away.

   "Stand up." He ordered as he gripped her wrists and pulled her to her feet.

He jerked her up with such a force that it caused her head to whip back, sending an intense pain down her spine.

   "A-ah, that hurts. Why are you doing this?" She moaned through the blood as he held her in his arms so that she would be able to stand.

   "I'm sorry my darling, but it has to be done." He whispered softly to her while gently rubbing some of the blood off of her face.

   "Wh-what has to be done?" She asked warily, almost too horrified to listen for the answer. 

   "This!" He yelled, slamming her against the nearest wall. A stone that jutted out of the wall crashed into her back, causing her to contort her body in anguish. She slowly felt herself sinking; she couldn't feel her body anymore. She couldn't feel him beating her relentlessly. All that she could feel was a coldness sweep over her entire body. It was a horrible feeling; she wasn't sure what caused it. Ever so slowly her mangled, weak, bloody body fell limply to the floor. 

   Athena shut her eyes, but the scene was the same, utter darkness, still, she wanted to die not seeing his eyes, she wanted one last time to remember the warmth of Yami. An almost unnoticeable smile came upon her face as she thought of him one last time. Then she heard the click of the knife, she knew it was coming, the man pulled her up by the hair.

   "Goodbye Athena." Were the last words she heard. Then she felt the smooth blade of the knife pierce her neck, she welcomed it this time, the blade was her rescuer, her redeemer.

   After he had done what he had set out to do the evil one dropped her to the ground and walked away, leaving her there to die, alone in the dark.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Umm…I have nothing to say…  ;_;


	10. Recovery

                                                ~  Recovery ~

   Yami hadn't noticed how late it had become as he rushed out of his room to where he knew Athena was staying, cursing himself the entire way for waiting so long. What if she had already left?

   Rounding the corner, he saw that her door stood ajar. His heart leapt out of his throat as his mind went screaming.

   'See, you fool, you let her get away! Why did you have to wait so long?'

Swallowing his fear Yami made slow steps towards the open door, afraid of what he would see, or not see.

   Peering around the corner his eyes met with a dark figure, but it wasn't Athena.

   "Seth what on earth are you doing in here?" Yami asked.

Seth nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the Pharaohs powerful voice.

   "Pha-Pharaoh Yami." Seth said as he bowed humbly, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I-I came in here when I heard a scream." He lied. He knew why he came in here, but when he got here, it was too late; he assumed that Athena had already left. How wrong he was.

   "You heard a scream?" Yami asked sounding worried. He shifted his weight as he turned his head away from Seth. "Why didn't you come get me?" He asked with ire.

   "Forgive me great one, but aren't you not speaking to her?" Seth questioned taking a step away from Yami.

   "Seth that's not the point!" Yami growled. Turning away he threw his hands in the air, too disgusted to deal with Seth at that moment.

   Yami decided that the fastest way to find her would be to use his magic again. So, hesitantly; for he was afraid of what he might see, he traced the outline of a circle in the air. The shining orb appeared again, Seth looked completely unfazed at the display for he knew that Yami had magic and he had seen him use it before.

   "Show me Athena." He commanded. 

   Yami gazed nervously at the silver ball, anxiously waiting for the picture to clear up.  

   His palms were sweaty and his heart was beating fast, he almost knew that something was wrong.

   Ever so slowly the tiny image emerged from the haze. Yami stepped back as his breath caught in his throat.

   "No." He choked. "Please Ra no!"

   "Pharaoh, what is it?" Seth questioned, taking a small step forward.

But before he could see the image Yami ran right through it and bolted down the hallway, leaving a little smoke trail where the orb once was.

* * *

Yami ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and in his complete shock and fear he hadn't considered that he didn't even know where she was. So, coming to a halt at an empty palace corner he didn't even take the time to catch his breath before he yelled out a spell and then snapped his fingers. In an instant he was gone.

* * *

   The evil one idly strolled down the empty passageways back to Malik's room. He smiled to himself as he ran his fingers along the stone wall, walking slowly completely satisfied with the evening's events. 

   A noise that sounded like someone running made him halt and cower back in the shadows. He watched as a blur streaked past him. Lowering his head he smirked.

   "Yes Yami, run to her. Run to see your beloved Athena lying bloody on the floor." He whispered to himself. He paused for a minute and closed his eyes, just trying to envision the wonderful scene. "I hope it hurts."

   When he was sure that there was nobody around, he continued on the short trek back to Malik's room.

  Upon entering the spirit muttered words of satisfaction for what he had accomplished.

   "Thanks Malik, you were quite useful I must say."  And with that the spirit simply waved his hand over his face, smiling before his expression went blank. Instantly the spiky hair fell to his shoulders and the millennium eye disappeared. The empty body fell to the floor with a thud.

For a while Malik's vacant body lie motionless, devoid of life. It took a while before the steady rhythm of his heartbeat could be felt again. 

For a moment, Malik kept his eyes closed; this was the worst feeling in the world; until he remembered what had happened. It was something terrible. He shot up from the floor, ignoring the pain of his back, and his head. He had to tell Yami, he knew something awful happened, and he knew who did it. Bursting out of the room he ran as fast as he could to Yami's room.

                                            * * *

When Yami's magic brought him to the area where Athena was he was shocked to see how dark and cold it was. The more he thought about it, the more his heart hurt. Ra knows how long Athena was down here, alone in the dark. All Yami could think about now was getting to her and holding her so that she wouldn't be alone, but he saw her image in the silver orb, and he didn't know how much longer he had, or even if…he didn't even want to think about it.

   It was too dark for him to maneuver around the cryptic halls, so he used his magic again and conjured up a torch.  Running down to the end of the passageway; for he had a feeling that she was at the end, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw blood splattered over the walls and on the floor. Taking in a deep breath, Yami looked down, and faintly, in the corner of the room he saw his love lying motionless on the floor. Her damp robes, draped loosely over her frail form. He saw her hands, slightly open lying on the floor.

   'No.'

    Dropping the torch from his hand he walked over and fell to the ground beside her.

   He opened his mouth to speak but the words didn't come out. His entire body went numb as he picked up her tender, mauled, unrecognizable body and hugged her close to him.

   Her blood stained his robes as he hugged her tight and gently rubbed his hand on her head.

   She wasn't moving or responding to his touch. Her face still showed signs of life, and her lips were parted slightly. But Yami saw that she had been beaten badly. Almost every inch of his love was covered in bruises and deep wounds where blood seeped out and created crimson pools on the floor. Yami closed his eyes and rested his head on top of hers, slowly rocking back and forth.

   The torch behind him was growing dim because of lying on the wet floor. He didn't care; he just sat there, continuing to cradle her body in his arms. He felt as if this moment wasn't real; it was as if this was a horrible nightmare that he couldn't escape. He pulled his head away from her and gazed at her brutally beaten body. Why? He wondered. Why couldn't it have been him that was taking all the pain? If there were a spell for him to transfer all of this upon himself, he would have done so. But there wasn't, and there was nothing he could do. He hated feeling so helpless. Ever since he had become Pharaoh, he had the power to do whatever he wanted. Why then now did his title of Pharaoh make him angry? Because at this moment, he was powerless.

   Yami wasn't going to accept this, she wasn't dead, and he wouldn't let her die. He would never let her die. As long as there was still breath in his body Athena would live.

   "Athena." He whispered into the darkness. He brought his hand down and rested it over her heart, but he felt nothing. "No…NO! Athena please, hang on!" He yelled to her. "I love you." He paused as he looked at her neck. There was blood still emanating out slightly. "I love you." He repeated again. Of all the magic he had, he didn't have the power to restore life. He could heal someone, but to restore life to an empty vessel; it was not possible. 

   Yami sat and held her. He was never going to let her go. He didn't know how long he had been down there before he heard a noise.

   "Yami!" Came a shout from behind him "Yami! It's me!"

Slowly he turned his head and saw a light coming from where he had entered the room. He saw a figure enter and he recognized him. It was Malik.

   He didn't even acknowledge Malik's presence; instead he turned back to Athena and continued to hold her body in his arms.

   "Yami I…went to you room but-" Malik stopped as he approached his friend and saw Athena's body in his arms. Malik knew what happened, but he couldn't tell Yami now, it wouldn't have been right.

   Yami lowered his head and rested it on her chest as a single tear poured down his face. He was empty now. All the contents of his heart; everything that Athena had given him had vanished along with her.

 But lying there silently, he heard the unmistakable thump of a heartbeat. It was faint, and almost inaudible, but there was no mistaking it. His head snapped up as he turned to Malik.

   Startled, Malik jumped back slightly at Yami's sudden movement.

   "She's not dead." He said, almost sounding worried. What if he waited to long? What if, because he had though she was dead she really would die because he was too stupid to hurry her off to a physician?

   Cursing himself, he stood to his feet, with Athena in his arms. She had lost so much blood that she weighed little to nothing.

   "Malik hurry! Run up and get the physician! Tell him to come to my room!" Yami yelled as he ran off with her, heading for his room as fast as he could.

* * *

Yami hurried as fast as he could, while still being careful not to cause greater damage to Athena. He was carrying her as if he had a porcelain doll in his hands. A delicate treasure that with one false move could be destroyed.

   Slowing down as he rounded the corner he noticed that a small crowd had gathered around his room. He saw Bener, Malik and a few other slave girls standing by the physician with horrified looks on their faces.

   He didn't feel like dealing with them now. He didn't feel like dealing with anyone. Pushing through them to get into his room he ordered them all to leave, and they did so without hesitation. Everyone except Bener and Malik, that is.

   The filed into the room behind Yami and each waited anxiously for him to lay her down on the bed. Once he had done so, the physician named Seti walked over to the bed, placed his bag on the nightstand and proceeded to examine her body and all of the wounds.

They could have been there for hours or minutes, none could tell. Bener and Malik exchanged nervous glances as they watched Yami pace around the room. Every so often, Seti would look up as if he were about to say something, and Yami would stare at him, waiting for him to talk, but then Seti would go back to what he was doing. It was worrying Yami, to the breaking point, and he finally spoke up.

   "For Ra's sake Seti! Tell me something! Anything!" He shouted at the doctor as he stopped his pacing.

  Seti flinched fearfully at the Pharaoh's strong voice. Seti opened his mouth to begin talking, and Yami was growing impatient. 

   "Well! Spit it out! The Gods gave you a mouth, now use it!" He spat.

   "Pardon sire…but-"

   "Yes?" Yami asked apprehensively.

   "Well, I…would like you to leave the room." He said timidly.

   "WHAT! What the hell did you say? No! I'm not going to leave the room, I'm not going to leave her side!" Yami yelled as he ran to Seti and raised his hand.

   Bener and Malik rushed over quickly and stopped him before he seriously hurt the doctor.

   "Get off me!" He snapped, ripping his hand out of Malik's.

   "Yami, please." Bener pleaded. "Just do as the doctor says. It's for Athena's good."

    She stared at him pleadingly until he gave up and stepped away from Seti, who feared for his life.

   "Alright. But the moment something happens, someone had better come and get me." He warned as he walked toward the exit. "Or there will be hell to pay." He added, glaring at each one of them.

   Malik left the room as well, following Yami down the hallway.

Bener turned her head back to Seti, and the figure of Athena lying on the bed. Her ears filled with tears. She loved this girl like a second grand daughter. Sniffing a little she looked back up at Seti.

   "Bener, could you go and get Anzu for me?" He asked. "I may be able to heal wounds, but she is far better then me at easing the pain."

   "Ok Seti."  

When Bener too left the room he turned his attention back to Athena. Her breathing was light and unsteady, and most of her wounds had stopped bleeding, but a few still issued out blood. He sighed to himself as he began to clean her off. He couldn't imagine what sort of evil was at work here. But whoever he was, Seti didn't envy him one bit, for he was sure to die a violent death at the hands of Yami.

* * *

Yami frowned as he leaned over the edge of the reflection pool. He watched as a few brightly colored fish swam by. The fast paced rhythm of his heart kept on interfering with his thoughts. Usually this was the place he came to find peace; it was quiet and relaxing. But this time, he found no comfort in the tranquil sounds of running water and the fresh scent of lotus blossoms.

   He couldn't keep his thoughts away from her. He knew that she was alive, but would the doctor be able to restore her to her old self? And more important, would she ever forgive him? Yami scowled as these and many other questions ran through his head. This was all his fault. If he had been with her, this would have never happened. And this was something that he would never forgive himself of.

   Leaning his elbows on the wall he shoved his face into his hands and growled. Fear was beginning to turn into anger. Whoever did this, Yami swore that he would skin him alive. 

   Becoming impatient at how long it was taking the doctor to send him word Yami lifted his head and spun around, about to run back to his room and burst in the doors no matter what the doctor said, but as turned around he came face to face with a pair of hazy purple eyes.

   "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked nastily. "You've got some nerve coming around me."

   Malik snorted with disapproval as he rolled his eyes.

Yami felt his face grow hot with rage, but he wasn't in the mood to threaten or hurt Malik, he was too distracted.

   "Yami, I just came to talk to you." He said softly, trying his best to ignore Yami's discourtesy. 

   "Oh yea?" Yami snapped heartlessly. "Well incase you haven't noticed, Athena is lying in my room half dead and the bastard who did it is going to pay severely. I'm in no mood to talk."

  At that comment Malik shook his head.

   "What!?" Yami snapped when he saw Malik's gesture. 

   "Yami, I know what you're thinking and you can't beat yourself down for this." He said as he glanced over the expression on Yami's face.

   "Malik, just shut up. You have no idea what I'm thinking." He turned back around and silently stared back into the pool.

   "Fine, you win Yami. I can see that no one will change your mind." Malik turned and began to walk away. "I was just trying to be a friend." 

   At that comment Yami snapped his head around, about to call after him but Malik had already walked off.

   "Great. Just great!" Yami shouted, slamming his fists on the stone railing.

His best friend, whom he tortured nearly to death, was just showing him some compassion, and he couldn't even take the time to listen. What kind of monster was he turning into?  

   Yami looked up when he heard footsteps behind him. Bener smiled meekly at him.

   "Yami, you can go in now but-"

He didn't even wait long enough to see what else she had to say. He bolted out of the gardens and headed straight for his room.  

* * *

It took him only a few seconds to race back into his room and arrive at Athena's side.

   Kneeling by the bed he cautiously picked up her hand and began to stroke it gently. He sighed hurtfully when he noticed that she still wasn't responding to his touch.

   Yami jumped slightly when he felt a hand press against his shoulder. Twisting his head he saw Anzu looking down at him.

    "Pharaoh, it's better this way. At least she can't feel the pain."

  He turned back to Athena and frowned. Anzu was right; at least Athena couldn't feel the pain. At least she couldn't see him like this, completely broke down.

   "Please leave." Yami ordered softly to Anzu and Seti. The obeyed his wishes and as soon as Seti had gathered up his potions and tools they left the room.

   When they left, Yami got up, pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down on it.

   Now that they had taken care of her, all there was to do was wait. And Yami made up his mind that he wasn't going to leave her side until she was better.

   Sliding lower in the chair he watched as her chest rose and fell with unsteady breaths. He could hear the faint wheezing coming from her as if breathing was the hardest thing for her to do.

   He scanned over her face and body, seeing all the cuts and bruises made him want to hurt somebody. Somebody would pay for this, and now that he thought about it, his emotions were split between anguish and madness. 

   Yami gazed out his window and saw a fine red hue on the horizon, dawn had arrived, and it had been a long night for everyone. Closing his eyes Yami rested his chin on his hand and slowly drifted off into a most uncomfortable sleep.

 The dark spirit stood among the haze and watched Athena as she lay on the ground.

   Walking over to her he knelt down and gently nudged her.

   "Wake up, Athena." He said to her.

   Slowly she opened her eyes at the feel of the familiar cold hands on her skin.

   When her eyes grew accustom to the dim light she shot up from the cold ground and looked around in fear.

   "No!" Where have you taken me!?" She yelled at him. Then she noticed something else. All of her wounds were gone, and she could feel no more pain. However, she did feel an icy coldness ripple throughout her body.

   "Relax." He said quietly. "I am only talking to you in your subconscious. But now that we have shared a…most wonderful experience together, I can speak to you anytime I want." He laughed, because he knew that those words tortured Athena. "I must say though, I didn't expect you to live. No matter, this will all work out." 

   She narrowed her eyes at him, what the hell could he be planing. What ever it was, she had to tell Yami about this man.

   "Aah, you plan on telling Yami do you? Well I strongly advise against that." He cautioned her. "For the day that Yami finds out about me, will be his last."

   "Why are you doing all this?" She asked shakily.

   "You mean to tell me you've forgotten already?" He smiled. "Athena, I love causing pain, anger and fear. And I can see that I have accomplished all three in one night, I watched as Yami ran into the room tonight and held your hand."

   "He-he did?" She didn't know what happened, because she hadn't woke up yet.

   "Oh, yes. He is quite hurt, and enraged." The evil one said this as if it were a good thing.

   "As for the pain, well you and Malik can attest for that."

   "What does Malik have to do with-" But she stopped abruptly as she noticed something that she didn't notice before. Now she could see the man in his entirety. And scanning him up and down, she gasped when she realized something. This man was Malik. 

   "Athena dear, I know what you're thinking and no, I'm not Malik, although we do share some attributes, I can assure you that he and I, well, we are complete opposites." He smiled as he pulled the golden staff out from under his robes. "However, I am grateful for him. He proved most useful to me last night." He shot a sideways glance at her, waiting for a reaction. "It was all thanks to him, and Yami of course, that made last night possible."

   Athena just sat on the ground in shock. She could tell that he was trying to turn her against Yami, but she just couldn't do it. She knew that Yami would never purposely try and hurt her. But then, there was the time when he had hit her. Shaking her head she yelled out.

   "Stop it! Stop! I know what you're trying to do and it won't work on me!" She cried, covering her ears. She would listen to no more of his lies. "Just go away and leave us all alone!"

   "Ok I'll leave." He smirked, "For now. But I'll be back soon enough." Laughing hysterically the man slowly disappeared into the mist and Athena felt her body began to grow heavy. She could also feel the pain of her wounds come back, and before she knew it, she was lying on a soft bed, her body dripping with sweat.  She had no idea where she was, or how long she had been there. All she knew was that she was not in the same place she was after the man had beat her. Shaking her head she tried to forget everything about him and everything that he did to her. But she couldn't forget it, he wouldn't let her.

   She kept her eyes closed, afraid of what she might see if she opened them. 

The pain in her body was unbearable. She was on fire and each little cut stung as if they had been branded on her flesh. Gripping the sheets she twisted her body in an attempt to alleviate the pain, but nothing she did seemed to work.

   "Yami." She cried out in a hushed voice. She couldn't help it. She needed him and even though she knew he wouldn't hear her, it was almost like a reflex.

   She was surprised when she felt a cool hand touch her forehead, and even more shocked when she heard the creamy voice that she so desperately wanted to hear.

   "I'm here." She heard the voice reassure her. Athena couldn't help but produce a weak smile at the sound of his voice. It was so calming, so comforting. 'He heard me.'

   She opened her heavy eyes, and saw a blurred picture of the Pharaoh sitting next to her.

   "Athena, I'm here." He whispered softly to her as he placed a hand to her cheek.

   She smiled at him before she closed her eyes again. She was too weak to say anything more, and the pain was too great. She felt him grip her hand and she gripped his as hard as she could to show that she knew he was there.

   Then she began to wonder, how long had she been here? And how long had Yami been with her? 

   Sighing, she felt her body relax and she drifted out of consciousness again.

 Yami couldn't help but smile a little. This was the first time that Athena had responded to his voice in hours.

   By now it was midday and Yami had only gotten a few hours of sleep early that morning.

   He sat diligently by Athena's side as she drifted in and out of consciousness all day. Throughout the day Bener had stopped by to see how she was doing. Anzu also came into the room and put some lotus flowers that she had picked for Athena on the nightstand. Even Malik came into the room. But he didn't say anything. He merely walked in, glanced at Athena, then at Yami and then walked out. But when Bener came into the room, she desperately tried to convince Yami to rest and to come out of the room to eat something, but he flatly refused saying that he wasn't going to leave Athena's side until she was better. 

    Seeing that she wouldn't win that battle she left the room, and left Yami to be alone with Athena. 

   He stayed in the room all day and well into the night. Sometimes becoming restless he would pace around the room until he would hear Athena shout out his name from her sleep. Then he would rush to her side to see if she was awake. It pained him beyond words to know that she was calling for him but there was nothing he could do to comfort her because she wasn't awake. So he would lightly stroke her hair, and he could feel the heat escaping from her body. When he would place a cool rag to her head to lower her fever it would only take a few minutes before it would dry up. Sometimes her body would shake violently and he could only imagine what she was going through. Every so often she would shout out in sheer anguish and he would watch as her fingers tangled into the sheets, gripping them so tightly that he thought they would rip.

   She had been quiet for a while now and Yami sat with his eyes closed and his arms folded. He was so tired, but he didn't want to fall asleep, he wanted to be awake incase she woke up. The only thing that he felt was keeping him alive now was his love for her. It was his love and his determination that gave him the will to go on.

   "Yami…" Came a raspy voice from the bed.

 Yami nearly jumped out of his skin as his eyes shot open. Falling out of the chair he knelt by the bed and looked at her.

   Athena's eyes were open slightly and her lips pulled into a weak smile when she saw Yami. A tear fell down her bruised and scratched face, causing her to cringe a little because of the salt in her tears. 

   "Thank…you." She choked.

   "Shh, you don't have to say anything." He whispered, placing his finger to her lips, silencing her.

   "But…you don't have to stay here." She said, feeling rather guilty that she was keeping Yami from sleeping.

   "Athena, I want to be here. I'm not going to leave you, ever."

   She turned her head away and closed her eyes. This was the man that she loved so much; she didn't want him to suffer on behalf of her.

   He lowered down and kissed her on her forehead, as he placed his hand on hers.

* * *

Yami wasn't the only one who was being deprived of sleep. Anzu was lying on her bed with her arms folded up behind her head. She kept on thinking about the first time she laid eyes on Athena when Yami brought her to his room. She was almost unrecognizable. Anzu remembered all of the cuts and bruises that were on Athena as she cleaned them off and applied the same medicine that she had used on Malik.

   Speaking of Malik, she hadn't seen him in nearly two days, except for today when he was in Yami's room. She wondered if he was ok, after all, it had only been two nights ago that his back was shredded.

   A knock on her door made her jump slightly before she asked who it was.

   "Malik." Came the respond from the other side.

   "Come in."

   The door cracked open and the blonde beauty popped his head in and gave Anzu a weak smile.

   "Sorry to bother you, but my back is really sore." Malik said as he walked over to the bed and sat down. He removed his shirt so that Anzu could take a look at it. Sitting up she softly ran her fingers over the wounds and felt Malik flinch a little.

   "Ooh, sorry I didn't know it was that sore." She said apologetically.

   "It's ok, I was just wondering if you had anymore of that strong stuff that you used before."

   "Yea it's right here." She leaned over on her side and picked it up off of the floor.

    "It's been sore for the longest time," He told her as she rubbed the ointment on his back, "But I really haven't had time to think about my own pain."

   "Tell me about it. I don't know what's going on here, but whoever did it, he will surely pay." She said angrily.

   Malik tensed up as she said those words, he knew who did it, but he couldn't tell her, she wouldn't believe him.

   "What's wrong?" Anzu asked as she closed the medicine bottle and placed it back on the floor.

   "Huh? Oh, nothing." He replied quickly.

She eyed him apprehensively before she shrugged her shoulders.

   "So where have you been for the past two nights?"

   "In my room." He lied.

   "Oh."

   "Why, did you miss me?" He asked jokingly.

   "Actually, yea." Anzu said as she flushed.

   Malik twisted his head a little, he was only kidding, he didn't think she would actually say yea.

   "Uh, Anzu, I just want to thank you again for all that you've done for me. Heck, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead. You're a real friend."

   Anzu flushed even more as she sighed. "Yea, a friend." She put on her best fake smile, but she wasn't too good at it. Malik could tell that there was something wrong.

   "Yes, a friend." He repeated. Truthfully Malik would have liked to be more than that, but that was how he was with every other girl. He didn't want it to be that way with Anzu. He wanted his relationship with her to be different then all the ones he had experienced before. 

   Still, he thought as he sat there looking at her, she was quite irresistible. He couldn't help himself and before he knew it, his hands were on her face pulling her into him.

   Anzu didn't hesitate, she allowed herself to be drawn into the other. She allowed his warm soft hands to cup her chin gently as she shut her eyes and awaited what she had longed for ever since she had met him. 

   She felt his warm breath play across her face, and his lips were so close to hers. Anzu brought her hand up and tangled it in his golden locks pushing forward that one final inch.

   Their lips met in a delicate first kiss. A kind that Malik had never experienced before. This one had passion and feeling in it. And he actually enjoyed it. Her lips were soft, they were the lips of someone who had never kissed before. He enjoyed this new experience, because all of the other girls were tramps, they would go around kissing almost anyone if they thought they could get something out of it. He could feel her tremble as he held her. Malik placed a hand on her shoulder as if to reassure her that everything was fine. 

   Anzu was nervous, she was afraid that she wouldn't live up to Malik's "expectations". She knew about all of the other girls, and she shuddered at the thought of how much of an expert he must be. But when she felt his hand on her shoulder, she forgot about her fears and remembered whom she was kissing. Smiling lightly Anzu twisted her finger around a piece of Malik's golden hair.

    Malik wanted to go on all night however, he did not intend on deepening the kiss for fear of moving too far, too fast.

   So instead, he pulled away slowly and kissed her on the forehead.

   Anzu opened her eyes and smiled up at him. He smiled back, brushing a piece of her dark brown hair away from her beautiful blue eyes.

   "A really good friend." He sighed softly.

Anzu giggled as she fell into his chest. She placed her hand on his bare chest and moved it up and down his supple tanned flesh. She inhaled deeply, and her senses were overwhelmed with expensive exotic oils. Malik smelled like a God. She glanced playfully up at him from her position; he wrapped his strong lean arms around her and fell back on the bed, still holding her securely.

   He sighed as he thought about how good it felt to hold this girl in his arms. She was different; he wanted to protect her from becoming like all of the other girls. 

   Lying there with her, he thought back to the night of the dedication ceremony when he had been with those two girls, and how he thought about what it would be like to have one person; someone that would care about him for who he was, someone whom he could call his own.

   Malik smiled contently; he didn't have to wonder what it felt like anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Awwww…you go Malik!

Malik: * blushes *


	11. Malik's Gift

                                                     ~ Malik's Gift ~

Morning came and Yami hadn't slept a wink, although, he was about to doze off when the door to his chambers opened and Bener walked in, tray of food in hand.

     "Morning." She stated simply as she walked over to the bed. Her eyes rested on the frail form of Athena and then she gazed at Yami, who didn't look much better. His eyes were dark and his skin, even though he had a deep tan, looked washed out.

   Bener sighed heavily while handing Yami a bowl of date cakes.

   "I'm not hungry." He said, pushing the food away from him.

   "Yami, eat something, get some sleep." She begged him. "What good is it going to do Athena if you kill yourself waiting for her to get better?"

   Bener, as usual, had proved her point and Yami picked up the bowl and began nibbling on the sweet cakes.

   "I can send Anzu in to watch her, and you can go get some sleep in a guest room."

   Nodding his head, Yami stood up from the chair, without saying a word and carried himself, unwillingly, out of the room.

 As soon as he left, Bener walked out of the room to fetch her grand daughter.

    She knocked on the simple wooden door before she entered.

Upon entering, she felt her face grow hot. There was her little grand daughter, lying in bed with the biggest player Egypt had ever seen.

   Walking over to the bed, she smacked Anzu upside the head. With a yelp the brown haired girl was awoken rudely from her sleep. Rubbing her head, Anzu glanced up to see an angry Bener staring back down at her.

   "Get up right now." She whispered harshly.

   Anzu did as she was told, being careful not to wake Malik up, which was a difficult task because his arm was wrapped around her. Standing up and shaking her head, she blushed as her grandmother continued to stare at her.

   "What?!" She questioned finally. Malik was still sound asleep on the bed.

   "Come with me." Bener commanded. "You have to watch Athena. Yami needs some rest."

     Anzu followed her grand mother out of her room and down the hallway.

   Once she was clear out of ear shot from Malik, Bener spoke up.

   "Anzu, don't get me wrong, I love Malik like a son, just as I love Yami, but…he's…well he's…well you know." Bener said sounding slightly embarrassed. "Plus, you're just too young." She added matter-of-factly. 

   "Grandma, I know what Malik has done in the past, but he's different now." She told her.

   "Uh-huh, you'd like to believe that wouldn't you." Bener paused. "Anzu, no one can change a man-" But she stopped her sentence when she thought about Yami and Athena, and how much Athena had changed him. But then there was Malik, a player, and a womanizer. The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. She wasn't going to let Anzu be just another one of his girls. What could she do though? She couldn't tell Malik to stay away from Anzu. He was a good man, except for that on little problem. Plus, she did love him like a son, and she was beginning to think that maybe being around Anzu would be good for him.

   "Ok, Anzu, you may be young, but you are old enough to make your own decisions, but I'm warning you now, don't feel bad when he runs off with some other woman. I'll be watching him closely." She stopped her walking, and Anzu stopped as well, they were in front of Yami's doors. Bener hugged Anzu close to her as she whispered, "He'll never be like Yugi."

   Bener pulled away and walked back down the hallway, leaving Anzu stumbling into Yami's room. Malik had almost made her forget about Yugi, but her grandma had just brought him up again, splitting her in half.

   Half of her wanted to forget about Yugi, after all, he was dead. The other half was angry that she allowed herself to be kissed by another man, after she had promised herself that she would never love again.

   With tears in her blue eyes, Anzu flopped down on the chair by the bed and cried.     

* * *

Malik awoke sometime later to find himself hugging nothing but air. He chuckled to himself as he sighed. This was a normal occurrence; go to sleep with a girl, find yourself waking up to an empty bed. But he knew that Anzu always had work to do, it was that way the last time he had spent the night in her room. That was another thing that was different about Anzu, he was never with the same girl twice, he found himself becoming bored with whoever he was with, sometimes even the night that he was with them. Not with Anzu, he found himself longing to know more about her, and wanting to be with her as much as he could. This was actually the first time Malik had considered that the girl he was falling asleep next to was human.

   Sitting up on the bed, he brought his hand around to his back and rubbed it. The pain was almost gone.

   Malik leaned over and grabbed his shirt off the floor. Putting it on, he began to wonder what Anzu thought of him. He knew that everyone knew of his reputation, was she willing to look past all that?

   Shaking his head, trying not to think about all the negatives, Malik got up and walked out of the room, heading nowhere in particular.

Not paying attention to where he was going, because he was too preoccupied with thinking about the previous night, Malik bumped into somebody in the hallway.

   "Watch where you're going." The voice shot at him.

Malik glanced up and saw Yami for the first time since Yami had scorned him.

   "Sorry." Malik was too distracted to get mad at Yami.

Yami felt the same way. However, he was also feeling guilty for being so rude towards Malik yesterday, when Malik was only trying to help.

   Yami couldn't help himself; he had to say something, even if it wasn't an apology.

   "So, where are you headed?" Yami questioned awkwardly, not having really spoken to Malik nicely since Ra knows when.

   "No place special." He said as he shrugged his shoulders. "You?"

   "Same." Yami replied, he never imagined he would feel this uncomfortable talking to his best friend. That had to be changed. "Wanna walk to the gardens with me?" 

   "Sure, why not." Malik grinned a little as he eased up, maybe Yami was in a better mood today.

    The two made their way to Yami's private sanctuary in silence. Both having loads to say, but neither one knowing just how to say it. Occasionally they would glance at each other, trying their best to figure out where to start. Usually it was Malik's humor that made a situation like this more comfortable, but he found that his humor was failing him now.

   When they arrived in the garden there were a few servant girls doing laundry, but when they saw who had entered the courtyard they were quick to gather up their things and leave.

   "How's Athena doing?" Malik asked after they were left alone.

   Yami felt his eyes tear up, but he did well to hold them back.

   "She spoke to me last night. But she's been drifting in and out of consciousness." He paused as he smiled a little. "Bener came in this morning and told me to go get some sleep, she said that Anzu would watch Athena for me. I went to a guest room, but there's no way that I can sleep."

   "Yami, she's going to be fine." He said comfortingly.

   Yami smiled at Malik. For some reason, hearing those words from his friend made him feel a whole lot better.

   "So that's where Anzu is." Malik muttered to himself, but Yami heard him.

   Raising and eyebrow, Yami smirked at his friend.

   "I see you've met her?" He asked with a grin on his face.

   "Well I…we uh…yea." Malik blushed a little.

   "Malik this is so unlike you, getting all choked up over a girl. Is there something you're not telling me?" He asked, nudging his friend on the arm.

   "N-no, of course not." He stuttered.

   "Come on…do I have to make you talk?" Yami asked playfully as he raised his hands bringing them threateningly close to Malik's waist.

   "Ok, Ok! Please don't!" He yelled, pushing away from Yami. Aside from having his back carved; which was something that he was trying not to think about now; being tickled was the worst form of torture that Malik could imagine.

   "Well, I met her after you…" He stopped, not wanting to bring up such a sore subject, things were going so well. "Anyway, she helped me get better, and Yami you know me. Random girls, sure they're all pretty, but face it, most of them are just down right bitches." He smirked as Yami chuckled. "None of them have anything special, but Anzu…I don't know what it is about her. She's gorgeous and she has a brain."

   "Yea, I know what you mean." Yami said as he sighed heavily.

They were both quiet for a while before Yami spoke up again.

   "Uhh, Malik, this is going to bug me for the rest of my life if I don't do it now."

   Malik just stared at his friend with a confused look on his face.

   "I'm, sorry." He said quietly, he didn't know why, but that made him feel a whole lot better.

   "Don't worry about it." Malik said cheerily, trying to lighten the mood. "I was a bastard, I deserved it. And I'm sorry too, you know, this whole mess was my fault."   

    "Malik, don't say that. This is no more your fault then it is mine. However, I must say that whoever did this…" Yami stopped as he made a fist. "His days are numbered."

   Malik wished that were true, but he remembered what the spirit said. 'Nobody can kill me Malik, not Yami and not you.'

   "But I don't want to think about that now, all I'm worried about is Athena." Yami sighed. "So…are things back to normal between us?"

   "Of course! I knew you couldn't last long without me." Malik joked.

   "Oh shut up." Teased Yami as he punched Malik.

   "Yup, things are most definitely back to normal." He said, massaging his upper arm.

   "Yami!" Came a cry from the other end of the courtyard. The boys turned their heads to see Bener making her way over to them. She didn't look too happy to see them.

   "Yami I thought I told you to get some sleep! What are you doing out here?" But she stopped when she noticed that Yami and Malik were together and they weren't fighting. "I see you two have made up." She said, smiling casually. As she looked at Malik she tried to forget what she saw earlier, because she still cared about Malik.

   "How's your back?"

   "It's better."

   "Yea, well Anzu told me that she fixed you up. I taught her everything she knows." Bener stated proudly.

   "Well in that case, thank you Bener." Malik said as he reached over and gave her a soft peck on the cheek.

   Bener smiled at him. How could she have ever thought badly about him? He was such a sweet boy.

   "Anyway, Yami I came to tell you that Athena is awake. She's talking a little bit to Anzu, and she even ate something. She really wants to see you."

   Yami stood there as Bener walked out of the courtyard. He glanced at Malik before he broke out into a run.

   "Yami wait!" Malik hollered after him. He skidded to a halt and turned around. Malik reached down and picked two water lilies out of the reflection pool. Throwing one to Yami he winked and sent him on his way, slowly following after him. 

* * *

   "Do you want anymore of this melon?" Anzu asked Athena.

   "No thank you." She whispered, it still hurt her to talk, but not as much as it did before.

   Anzu laid the melon back down on the trey and sat on the chair.

   "Where's Yami?" She asked her friend. Athena desperately wanted to see him.

   "He should be coming soon my grandma went to-" She was cut off when the door swung open.

   Anzu quickly got up from the chair and bowed low. Yami walked towards the bed, with a curious look on his face.

   "How's she doing?" He asked Anzu.

   "She's much better Pharaoh." Anzu told him, raising from her bow.

   "Thank you Anzu. You can go and be with Malik now." He chuckled softly at the look on Anzu's face when he said that.

   "My Pharaoh, I don't know what-"   

   "It's ok, he told me everything, and to tell you the truth, I've never seen him like this. It's quite amusing actually." He smiled as Anzu walked out of the room blushing.

   Yami sat down on the bed next to Athena and handed her the lily.

    She smiled at him, which made Yami happy; he hadn't seen her smile in a long time. 

   "How are you feeling?" Yami asked her as he brushed her hair aside.

   "Better." She whispered. Athena brought the lily up to her nose and breathed in. "This smells wonderful."

   Yami looked down at the floor, there was something he had to ask her, he needed to know what happened that night, so that he could figure out who did it.

   "Athena, can you tell me what happened that night? Tell me everything that you can remember. What he looked like, what…he did to you." Yami hesitated on the last part because he didn't know how much of that he could stand to hear.

   "I…I don't remember what he looked like." She lied, because she remembered what the man had said. 'The day that Yami finds out who I am will be his last.'

   However, Athena told him all that she could about what the man did to her, pausing every so often, and looking away from Yami, because she was embarrassed.

   Yami tried to keep a straight face as she went over the horrific details of her rape. But the more she said, the more he wanted to hurt that man, he didn't want to cry in front of her.

   "Athena, I will never let this happen again." Yami reassured her as he bent down and hugged her gently.

   "I know." She whispered into his ear, with effort she lifted up her arms and placed them around his neck. Yami shuddered, it was the first time that he had felt her touch in days.

   He wanted badly to kiss her, but he was afraid that once he started he wouldn't be able to stop. 

   Pulling away, he remembered how much his friendship with Malik meant to her, so he thought that he should fill her in on what he had heard today, it might cheer her up.

   "I think you'll be happy to hear that things are back to normal between Malik and I." 

   Athena smiled at his words, she was delighted to hear that.

   "Also, I think Malik and Anzu have something going on, if you know what I mean." He raised his eyebrows, and she giggled a little.

   "I know, Anzu told me all about it when she was in here. She seems to like him a lot."

   "I guess I never saw it coming." Yami said, referring to the fact that Malik and Anzu were as different as night and day. "But when I talked to Malik today, well it was like he was in another world. Which is hard to imagine. I've always seen Malik as being a girl expert, but its like Anzu has totally made him forget everything."

   "Either that, or he wants to forget everything." Athena stated, she knew that Malik would want to treat Anzu different then all the other girls. She knew that Anzu was special to him. 

   "Yea, you're probably right. Anyway, now that you're awake, I'm going to stay in here, no matter what anyone says." Yami walked over to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers. Wrapping his arms around his love, Yami took in a deep breath, this was the happiest he had been in almost a week. He had patched things up with his best friend, who now had someone of his own to preoccupy him, and Yami was exactly where he should be. In his bed, with Athena wrapped up securely in his arms.

   'I'm never letting you go again.' 

* * *

Even though she was reluctant, Anzu found herself making her way to Malik's room. All day she couldn't help but think about Yugi. Had this been what Bener wanted? Did she want her to forget about Malik, so she tried to bring up the past, in hopes that Anzu would forget him? No, why would she do something like that?

   Becoming lost in her own thoughts she didn't realize that she was already standing in front of Malik's door.

   Sighing, she tried to forget about what Bener said. Then, after she had cleared her mind she brought her hand up and tapped softly on the door.

    There was silence, and just as she was about to walk away the door slowly cracked open. Glancing into what appeared to be an empty room she raised an eyebrow apprehensively.

   "Malik? Malik, are you in here?" Anzu stepped into the room. "Mal-" 

   "Gatch ya!" He shouted as he grabbed her around her waist from behind.

   Anzu whirled around and brought her hand up, accidentally whipping it across Malik's face.

   "Ah! What was that for?" He whined as he rubbed his cheek.

   "Well, don't scare me next time." She told him as she sniggered.

   "Ok, ok…here I have something for you." Malik raised his hand, and in it was the white lily from the garden.

   Anzu's eyes lit up. "Aww, thank you Malik, that was so sweet." She smiled when he handed her the lily and kissed her on the cheek.

Again, this was something that Malik would have never done, he never felt the need to do random acts of sweetness to other girls, then again, none of them were ever around long enough to enjoy anything that he could have done for them.

   "And there's one more thing." He added to her.

Anzu glanced back up at him curiously.

   "Would you like to go down into Thebes with me? I was thinking about taking you shopping. I've noticed lately that your clothes are so plain and boring. A girl as beautiful as you should dress to fit the part."

   Anzu, who noticed that her mouth was hanging open quickly shut it. She just stared wide-eyed at him, unable to say anything.

   "What, was it something I said? You know, if you don't want to go, we don't have to, I was just offering." He folded his arms and looked at her, waiting for a response. He chuckled, noticing the look of shock on Anzu's face.

   "No, no I…well, I don't know what to say."

   "How about, 'Sure Malik, I would love to go.'" He joked.

   "Well, yea, I mean yes, Malik." Anzu was absent-mindedly fiddling with the pleats of her dress as she glanced away from him. She never remembered feeling happier. Malik was treating her like she was a princess, and this was something that she wasn't used to. She had grown up knowing nothing but poverty, and then, when she became a palace servant, things improved a little, but still, she had few possessions of her own.

   "What's the matter? You look like you've just seen a fiend from the netherworld." 

   "Why, why are you doing this for me?" She asked him before she could stop herself.

   Malik's eyes widened a little at her question. He hadn't really thought about why, but now that she asked, he had a pretty good idea.

   "Because, you deserve it." He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. "Anzu you deserve to be with a prince or a king, not some son of a high priest, especially with the reputation that I have. But I'm just asking for a chance to be with you. I want to give you all that I can, because, when nobody else would help me, you were there for me. You were the answer to my prayers." 

   Anzu flushed scarlet, did she really mean that much to him? She had met him only a few nights ago, and yet, she felt as if she knew him better then anyone, then again, she was probably the only girl in Egypt that ever got to know him aside from Athena.

   "Malik, you're quite a confusing person, you know that." Anzu said, smiling at him.

   "What do you mean?"

   "I…well I have heard all the…uh…rumors, and well, I never thought anyone like you could be this sweet."

    For the first time in his life, Malik felt the sting of shame. He lowered his head for a moment as he contemplated what had just been said. True, the kinds of things that he was doing were morally wrong, and, up until this point he had never given it a second thought. But now that he was with Anzu, he wished that he could tell her that he had never done all those things, he wished that she would forgive him. 

   Anzu noticed the look on his face, and she knew what he was thinking.

   "Malik, I'm willing to look past all that, I don't care what you've done, it's over now," she paused for a minute, "right?"

   He snapped his head up when he heard the cautious tone of her voice.

   "Anzu, there is no one else, I promise." He said, glancing into her eyes.

She beamed at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

   "Good." She whispered into his ear. He smiled at those words, hugging her tightly.

   "Now, are you ready to go and spend some money?" He asked as he pulled away from her. Anzu nodded her head approvingly. "Feel free to buy anything you want, it can cost as much as you want, and you can get as much of it as you want."

   "I don't want to make you poor Malik."

   "Oh, believe me, I don't think you can." He said with a smile. See, Malik was a wealthy man, having inherited everything after his father's death. Thinking that he would never return to Egypt he sold the family estate, and made a hefty profit off of that.

   However, he never had the opportunity to spend money on someone like Yami did. Plus there was the fact that every girl he was with didn't even deserve two deben to rub together. Malik's money just sat in the palace treasury, waiting for him to spend it. And he wanted so much to spend every last deben on her, but he knew that Anzu wouldn't let him. Although, he was going to try. 

   "Before we go, I have to change. Palace officials can go into the city of Thebes without looking their best." He walked over to his ebony wardrobe drawer and swung it open.

   Anzu's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she glimpsed upon the finest array of clothing she had ever seen. She could have sworn that Malik's clothes were even finer than the Pharaoh's. There were robes in every shade, from white to a light amethyst that matched Malik's eyes perfectly. He pulled out the light amethyst one and slipped it on over his white linen kilt. Then he walked over to his dresser and opened a box. In it were his golden arm and wristbands. Securing them on himself, he turned back around to see an awestruck Anzu.

   "Yea, I clean up nicely don't I?" He said sarcastically while he clamped on his earrings.

Anzu wasn't joking though. Malik was just…drop dead gorgeous. His perfectly tan skin was just visible beneath the layers of see-through purple linen, and his arms, neck and wrists were hugged tightly by gold bands. He had made sure to wear the thinnest thing that he owned so that he wouldn't cause more pain to his back, but it was simply torturing Anzu. 

   Then when she snapped out of the daze that she was in she looked down at her own apparel, and it made her want to run and hide. She was wearing a plain old wool dress that Bener had made for her. 'Who am I fooling? I don't even deserve to look at him, I'm just a servant.'

   "What's the matter?" He questioned, noticing the look on her face.

   She merely glanced from herself and back to him. He got the picture.

   "Anzu, you are amazing no matter what you wear. But hey, as soon as we get down there you can buy the prettiest, and most expensive linen…no silk dress that you can find." He smiled at her. "Then we can burn this if you like." He added, picking up a piece of the material. Anzu beamed at him again. "You can get a dress in every color if you want to."

   "No Malik I-" She was cut off when he reached over to her and put his hand on her cheek. She felt herself freeze up at the feel of his warm hand on her face.

   "Anzu, give up. We are going shopping and I am going to spoil you rotten."

   She merely nodded, taking in a deep gulp of air.

   "Relax, you act like you're walking on eggshells."

Anzu chuckled softly and smiled at him. There was no reason for her to be nervous around him. Even though he was a fifthly rich, son of a high priest, who was extremely handsome…and perfect, in every way, she still felt comfortable around him, but to her they were as different as night and day.

   "Well, are you ready to go?"

   "I don't see myself getting any readier."

Malik chuckled softly. 'You are too cute.'

  What he did next shocked her, he held out his arm for her. She knew what to do because she had see countless other noble men and women do the same, but she was shocked to see how polite and gentlemen like Malik was.

   Grinning, she slipped her arm around his and together they walked out of the room and down the hall towards the palace exit.

   "Malik, what will Yami and my grandma think about this?" She asked him as they walked down the steps at the front gate. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and the sounds and smells of the city were all around them.

   "I don't think they'll mind too much. There are plenty other servants."

Anzu nodded her head in agreement, besides, she was with Malik. There wasn't much else she could think about at the time. 

   "Ooh Malik look!" Anzu yelled as she pointed off to the right. Malik glanced over and saw a baboon juggling some red balls.

    "You don't get out much do you?" He sniggered at her overexcitement.

She shook her head. 

   "No, I haven't been out of the palace in a long time. Except for the dedication ceremony, but that was up at the temple and I didn't have a chance to see the city."

   "Well, in that case…where do you want to go? Wait…first things first, we have to get you a new dress, the clothing bazaars are down that street." Malik led her down a side street with a noticeably smaller crowd.

   "Where did everybody go?" She asked, curiously glancing around at the different shops that were along the sides. Some shops sold expensive imported oils and spices. Others were vending their fine gold and ivory jewelry.

   "The common people usually don't go down this ally, they never have nearly enough money to even buy the smallest piece of jewelry that is sold here…Ah, and here we are."

   Malik stopped and so did Anzu. They stood in front of a beautifully decorated building, and Anzu gazed at it with awe. 

   "After you." He said as he held the door open for her. 

She stepped into the building and nearly fainted. Hundreds upon hundreds of finely decorated dresses in every color imaginable were hanging around the room.

   Malik stepped up behind her and whispered into her ear.

   "Enjoy yourself."

 Anzu remained speechless. She didn't know where to start or what to look at first. It was quite overwhelming. 

   "Can I help you?" Came a voice from the other side of the room. Anzu made her way to the front of the shop, to see who was there.

She noticed a rather beautiful young woman dressed in a fine red silk dress.

   "My name is Vanessa…um." Vanessa eyed Anzu up and down before she continued. "I'm the owner of this shop…is there…um…something I can help you with?" She asked apprehensively, noticing the shabby apparel that Anzu was wearing.

   "Oh, uh…I was just looking." Anzu said shyly.

   "Is there something wrong?" Malik asked, coming up behind Anzu. But when he looked up, he almost shouted.

   "Malik?" Vanessa exclaimed, sounding rather annoyed. "What are you doing here?"

   "Nice to see you too Vanessa." He said sarcastically.

   "You two know each other?" Anzu asked as she turned to him.

   "Yea, we-"

   "Met." Malik interrupted, shooting Vanessa a warning look. 

   "Yea, we met." She eyed him nastily. "I remember it like it was yesterday…although, I rather wish I could forget it." She turned her attention to a blue shawl nearby, pretending to be preoccupied with it.

   "Vanessa…" Malik shifted his weight uneasily.

   "So is she the flavor of the week?" Vanessa whipped her head around and glared at Anzu with a look of utmost hatred and jealousy at the same time.

   "No, Vanessa, you better watch your tongue. It's gotten you into trouble before." He turned back to Anzu and looked at her as if to wordlessly say sorry.

   "Whatever Malik." She flipped up her hand as she turned around about to walk back to the back of the shop.

   "Where are you going?" Malik asked.

   "Well Malik, unless there is something I don't know about you…there is no one here that is going to buy a dress."

   She lifted up the curtain and almost disappeared but Malik grabbed her arm harshly.

   "You always were a bitch weren't you?" He tisked. "We are here to buy a dress."

   "Oh really?" She looked past him and stared right at Anzu. "Consider yourself lucky girl. I think you're the first one who gets to see his money." Vanessa gazed back up at Malik, who still held her arm tightly. "All I got to see was his bed…although…" She stopped as she licked her lips and narrowed her eyes.

   Malik quickly let go of her and backed away.

   "Would you just shut up and help Anzu find a dress."

   "Anzu? So that's your name. Well Malik how long did it take before someone told you who she was?"

   "Vanessa give it up, I'm tired of this bull shit. I'm not that way anymore."

   "Oh really?" She brushed past him and began to take Anzu to another part of the room. "I can't imagine how long that'll last." She mumbled to herself.

   "I heard that!" Malik yelled from behind them.

This was just great. Vanessa had just screwed him over in front of Anzu. Now what would she think of him?

   'Ooh, if Vanessa wasn't a woman…' He thought. Malik desperately wanted to punch her lights out.

   "What kind of dress did you have in mind?" Vanessa asked her, putting on a much more pleasant face. 

   "Oh…uh I don't know ma'am." She said timidly.

   "Anzu, right?"

   "Uh huh."

   "What's a girl like you doing with a guy like Malik? You do know what he's all about right? I mean, how many times have you had to have sex with him before he would buy you something?"

   "Actually…we haven't. And I do know what he was about, but I really believe he has changed."

   "Suit yourself." She shrugged as she fumbled through a rack of dresses. "Ah, here we go." Vanessa pulled out a light blue silk dress with a matching see-through linen over dress. "This is one of the most beautiful dresses I have, and the most expensive. But I'm sure Malik thinks you're worth it." She said that with a hint of jealously. "There's gold and turquoise beads sewn into the fabric. See here." She pointed out the intricate beadwork.

   "Wow, uh…I don't think I-"

   "Don't worry about it, it'll look great on you. Here," She shoved the dress into Anzu's arms, "Go try it on in the back room."

   "Uh, ok…"

Anzu walked back across the room and slipped into the back chamber. Vanessa made her way back over to Malik.

   "So, how about you ditch the girl and come with me?" She whispered seductively into his ear as her hands made their way down his chest.

   "Vanessa no." He pulled her hands off of him and backed away.

   "C'mon, you know you want me. Our nights of hot sex, you know you miss them. She's just a girl. I'm a woman. What can she give you?" Vanessa stepped closer to him, her lips parted slightly as she lowered her gaze.

   Vanessa was a beautiful woman, but she was also a mistress, at a tavern in the sleazy part of Thebes. That was where Malik had met her. That was where he met most of the girls he had been with.

   "For the last time, no!" Malik pushed her away from him, and just in time too.

   Shyly, Anzu opened the curtain that separated the back room from the rest of the store.

     Malik's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He was gazing upon the most radiant creature he had ever seen.

   Vanessa, noticing Malik's sudden enthrallment grunted with distaste.

   "Will that be all?"

   "Is this all you want Anzu?"

   She nodded her head.

   "That's all Vanessa." He said without looking at her.

When Malik had paid for the dress they stepped out of the shop, which made Malik extremely happy. But now he had to face Anzu alone. What would she think? Would she be angry with him?

   Anzu noticed Malik's agitation, so she grabbed his hand and held it in hers.

   "Thank you so much Malik. Don't worry, I won't hold that against you." She sniggered at how tense he looked. "C'mon, ease up and forget about her."

   Malik smiled a little as they continued to walk. "Anzu, I didn't tell you how amazing you look. I was in shock when you stepped out of the room." He said as he looked at her.

   Anzu looked away as she muttered her thanks and blushed uncontrollably.

Malik sighed as he shook his head. 'You are perfect.'

   "So where do you want to-" He stopped as something caught his eye. It was a necklace that was sitting on a wooden stool at the Jeweler's bazaar.

   "Malik, what are you doing?" She asked, tugging on his arm.

   "Come here." He said as he pulled her towards the outdoor shop.

   "Excuse me sir." Malik said to the man who owned the shop.

   "How can I help you?" 

   "That necklace, right there. How much is it?" Malik said, pointing to the stool.

   "Aah, I see. A beautiful necklace, for your beautiful wife."

   "Oh, no she-she's not my wife."

   "Mmm." The man hummed as he picked up the necklace with great care. "This necklace came to me from a very mysterious source…mysterious indeed." He examined it as though the man himself was going to buy it. "It seemed to be very precious; pure gold this necklace is."

   Anzu stared at it. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry that she had ever laid eyes on. It far surpassed the simple gold bracelet that she owned, and most certainly surpassed it in price as well. She studied its unique design. It was a little gold choker, delicate and beautiful and it had the millennium eye in the center.

   "I'll take it."

Malik handed the man his money and the man gave him the necklace.

   "Oh, no Malik, you've spent enough on me already."

   "Shhh. It's ok, I want you to have this." He hushed her as he walked behind her and secured the necklace in place.

   She placed her hand on it, unable to believe that she was wearing something so expensive and gorgeous.

   "Malik, you have to stop being so good to me."

   "Why? You deserve it all." He softly kissed her cheek as they began to walk again.

  By the time late afternoon had rolled around, their arms were full of clothes, jewelry and basically anything else Anzu could have ever wanted. But Malik wasn't done yet, he wanted to know more about her, like where she grew up, and what kind of friends she had. 

   So he took her to his favorite hang out spot. Of course it was the tavern.

Stepping in, they rushed to a table so they could drop the heavy loads they were carrying. 

   The tavern was fairly packed this evening with villagers quietly talking over a pint. 

   "Did you have fun today?" Malik asked her eagerly, moving in closer.

   Anzu's face lit up with a huge grin, "I couldn't have asked for a better time." She said, moving into him until their foreheads were touching. "Thank you." She whispered, before she gave him a soft peck on the lips and pulled away.

   "Any time." He smiled. 

   "Can I get you two anything?" Came a voice from behind them.

   "Huh? Oh," Malik turned around and saw the bartender; he was so wrapped up with Anzu that he almost forgot where he was.

   "Yea, uh…one glass of beer."

   "Make that two." Anzu said.

   "Ok, two glasses of beer, and some date cakes." He finished. The bartender walked away, leaving the two alone.

   "I didn't know you drank." Malik said, sounding slightly amused.

   "Well, I don't…but according to Athena, it's quite fun. So I'll give it a try."

   Malik raised his eyebrows as he got the picture in his mind of a drunken Anzu…quite amusing.

   "There's a first time for everything…Anyway, enough about that, tell me more about you."

   "A-about me?" Anzu looked slightly shocked at his request. Who would want to know more about her? She had to be the most boring person on Earth.

   "Yea, about you." He repeated.

   "Well, uhh, what's there to tell?" She asked in all honesty, becoming slightly ashamed at the thought of her talking about herself, and having Malik falling over asleep.

   "I dunno, tell me everything. Where you grew up, what your dreams are, who your friends are."

   "Um, ok…where should I start…aah ok, um, I grew up in a town right outside of Thebes." She started, as she looked up, trying her hardest to condense her life story to mere five minuets. But as she looked at Malik, she noticed that he looked truly interested. "And, I had thr-uh two best friends." She stopped as her heart skipped a beat. All day she had gone without thinking about Yugi once. She didn't want to bring him up; for fear that Malik would figure out that she still had feelings for him, somewhat…

   "Ok, and who are your two best friends?" He asked, pushing her on, wanting to know more and more.

   "Jounouchi, and Honda. I miss them soo much." She sighed longingly, placing her head in her hand and resting her elbow on the table.

   "Go on, don't stop there." 

   "Jounouchi, well, he is really really funny. Not quite as funny as you, but still, he could get a couple of laughs." She chuckled quietly at the fond memories. 

   "And what about Honda?" He smiled when he noticed how happy Anzu was when she thought about her friends.

   "Well, he wasn't quite as funny as Jounouchi, but I don't know where we'd be without him, he was such a hard worker."

   "I bet you'd give anything to see them again wouldn't you?"

She nodded her head fervently.

   "Come on!" He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of her seat. She picked up her bags, and Malik snatched up the ones off the floor.

   "W-what about the food!?!" She asked, being pulled out of the tavern.

   "I left some money on the table." He said back to her.

   He continued to pull her down the street, which was now lit with oil lamps because it was starting to get dark outside.

   "Where are we going?" She was running out of breath.

   "Just follow me."

It didn't seem as though she had a choice, he was pulling her along really fast down street after street until he reached his destination.

   Anzu bent over a little bit as she tried to catch her breath. She was so worn out that she didn't notice Malik walk away and come back.

   "Ok, are you ready?"

She looked up and saw that Malik had a camel behind him, holding it by the reigns.

   "Excuse me?" She asked, standing up straight. 

   "Here," He yanked on the reigns and with a grunt the camel knelt down. Then he helped her onto the camel, and it stood up again.

   "You remember how to get there right?" He asked, tugging on the reigns one more time, and the camel started to walk, with Malik leading the way.

   "Malik where--" Anzu paused as her eyes widened. "Oh my Gods! Malik, you mean—we are—we're going?"

   He turned around and looked up at her, smiling. "Uh huh. So do you remember how to get there?"

   "Uhh-yea…" She could hardly speak. Just when she thought Malik couldn't get any nicer…

   "Now, don't think I'm Mr. Nice guy. I'm doing this for myself too. I want to learn more about you, because it seems as thought you don't think you're very interesting. But you are, and I want to help you realize that."

   Anzu was glad that they had made their way out of the city where the only light was the moon, because she was blushing immensely. 

   "You're blushing aren't you?" He said with a chuckle, not even looking back, but continuing to walk, pulling the camel behind him.

What? Surely he couldn't see her blushing in the dark.

   "Huh? N-no I'm not, you don't know what you're talking about." But she couldn't hide it.

   "I know you are. Anytime I complement you, you blush. Heh heh, it's so cute." He paused, "Now I bet you're blushing even more." He didn't even turn around; they just kept on going. Anzu could feel her face grow hot. He knew her better then she thought. She sighed to herself. She couldn't think of a time when she had been happier. Malik was perfect. Sure, he had a…well…not so good track record but hey, he's a different man, and every time she heard his creamy voice, everything seemed to flee from her mind.

   Becoming aware of the sudden cold, she brought her arms around and rubbed her skin, shivering slightly. She tried to keep quiet, not wanting to bother Malik, but nothing got past him. He stopped the camel and had it kneel down.

   "We don't have too much longer but here take this." He removed his thin violet robe and wrapped it around her, leaving his torso bare. "It's not very thick, but it's better then nothing."

   "Malik, won't you be cold?" She asked, wrapping it around herself tighter. It smelled just like him. Amazing.

   "Nah, I'm moving around, don't worry about it." He walked back around and before long they were on their way again. She couldn't help but stare at him, his strong arms, with nice muscle tone, were holding onto the reigns. His tan back, although covered with hieroglyphs, was perfect, as was the rest of him. She continued to stare at his back, trying to make out what it said. But she, like almost everyone else in Egypt couldn't read the sacred writing. This was something that Yami hadn't planned on. He wanted everyone to see what Malik had done, but he forgot one thing; only he and a few other people could actually read the writing. 

   "We're almost there, you'll have to tell me where to go from here."

Anzu was so lost in thought that she didn't notice they had arrived in her village.

   "This street is a dead end, when you get to the house that's painted funny make a left. It's right up here." She said, pointing to an audaciously painted house about two hundred feet in front of them.

   "What were they thinking?" Malik said, trying to stifle a laugh.

   "They were the talk of the town when I lived here. But that just shows how much there is to talk about around here." She said quietly, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that Malik had probably never been in a low class neighborhood like this. He had been used to the palace, and royalty not two story run down mud brick buildings and peasants. 

    "Make the left here." She said. "But the camel has to stay. There's a place to tie him up right over there."

    She helped Malik unload all of the stuff and when the camel was tied securely, they set off down the narrow street that led to Anzu's old house. 

   "Don't worry, nobody's going to steal the camel. We might be poor, but we're not thieves." She told him, noticing how every ten feet that they would walk, he would look back to make sure it was still there.

   "Well, if someone did, I'd have to carry you back." He walked closer to her and wrapped his free arm around her.

   "I wouldn't mind that." Anzu whispered to him, coming in to him and nipping on his ear.

   "Ooh, playful are we?" And with his one arm he picked the small girl up, and she wrapped her legs around him to steady herself, while trying to hold onto the bags and his robe at the same time. She had to take in a deep breath at the feel of his rock hard abs brushing against her. His upper body was still bare due to the fact that his robe was still wrapped around Anzu. But she no longer needed it. For some reason, it felt as though the temperature rose about thirty degrees. Huh, wonder why. 

   Coming to the end of the ally he gently put her down and took his robe from her, putting it back on himself. He wanted to make a good first impression on her friends. 

   They both stood for a while in silence as Anzu stared at her childhood home, one that she hadn't seen in years.

   "What are you waiting for?" He gave her a shove, and she continued up the little dirt path with Malik behind her.

   Millions of things were running through her head, would they recognize her in all these fancy clothes? And would they still accept her?

   With a deep intake of breath she rapped on the door. 

It was quiet at first, but soon, voices could be heard on the other side of the door.

   "Jou, just answer it!" Came a yell from inside.

   "Damn it Honda, you know it's just the tax collector again. We've already paid for this month!" He yelled back.

   Outside, Malik couldn't help but laugh as he nearly dropped the bags.

   "ANSWER THE DOOR JOU!!"

Anzu held back a laugh as the door swung open.

   "Pardon, but we've already…" Jou stood in the doorway slack jawed, with his sandy blonde hair partially covering his eyes, the same way that Anzu remembered it.

   "Uuh…c-can I help you?" He asked, trying to find his voice. But before she could get the chance to answer, Honda came up right behind him.

   "Is there a problem Jou?" But as he looked from Jounouchi down to Anzu, he too was at a loss for words. "Anzu?"

   She inclined her head, smiling.

   "Anzu!!" They both shouted together, smothering her in a big hug.

   "Wow, I mean, look at you…you are beautiful." Honda said, pulling her out of the hug.

   "Yea, Hondas right…you, you clean up nice." Jou's eyes went from Anzu and rested on the gorgeous pale-blonde boy behind her. He suddenly felt all of his muscles tense up, and he had no desire to hide the nasty look that he was giving Malik.

   "Who are you?" He asked rudely, as though he didn't really care to hear an answer.

   Malik, happy to finally be acknowledged extended his hand.

   "My name's Malik Ishtar."

But Jou didn't return the warm welcome. However, Honda wasn't the type to be rude to a guest.

   "Hey Malik, I'm Honda, it's nice to have you here. And the worthless hunk of junk that thinks he's too good to shake your hand is Jounouchi." He said, raising his voice to indicate that he wasn't only talking to Malik.

   Jou just grunted with disapproval and continued talking to Anzu while Honda tried to apologize for Jou's actions.

   "Don't worry, its not you, he's like this around all strange guys ever since…well someone…with his sister…uuh. We won't get into that right now." He said uncomfortably. "Let's go inside." He said to all of them. Jou was quick to hold the door open for Anzu, but he made sure that it slammed shut before Malik could get through.

   Once they were all in the den, which was small but cozy, Honda brought them out some beer and bread. Jou continued to shoot nasty looks at Malik, who sat uncomfortably under the others gaze. Finally, Jou got the nerve to talk to him.

   "So, where do you live?" Jou asked, not sounding all that interested.

   "In the palace." Was his simple answer, Malik didn't feel like going into details.

   "Ohhh. So you're one of the Pharaoh's pretty boy friends are you?" He said with a snigger as he eyed Malik like he was a fresh piece of meat. "I knew something was up with you from the moment I saw you." He added scornfully.

   Malik was about to ask him if he would take it outside, but a comforting hand was placed on his, and Anzu gave him a sorry look.

   "Jou, just because he doesn't stink doesn't mean you should be envious." Honda shot at him. "So why don't you shut your mouth you reeking refuse heap!"

   Jou turned a deep shade of red at those words and felt prompted to apologize.

   "Ok, ok…sorry Malik." He said in an undertone.

   "Don't worry about it, you don't stink that bad." He replied with a chuckle. Malik's wit was a force to be reckoned with. Honda and Anzu both laughed when they saw Jou trying to play it off by pretending to be preoccupied with something else.

   "What's all this laughter?" 

All three of them turned their heads to the door where a young girl with long brown hair stepped in. Malik's face went white. He knew her. He couldn't remember her name, but he slept with her the night of the temple ceremony. Evidently, she remembered him too because she looked at him with shock and disbelief, about to open her mouth to say something. Malik quickly shook his head and making sure that nobody could see but her, he put a finger to his lips with a pleading look on his face. 'Oh please. Ra why me?' It seemed as though no matter where he went there was always going to be some girl that he had slept with, unfortunately. If Anzu, or the others ever found out about this one…well…Malik would be walking home…alone…to spent the rest of his life…alone.

   "Shizuka! You're home finally." Jou said, jumping up from the chair and giving her a hug.

   "Malik, this is my sister Shizuka. Shizuka this is Anzu's friend Malik."

Shizuka shot him a look that said 'you better watch you back.'

   "S-sister? Oh…that's nice, well um…hi." He said, trying his best to sound normal.

   "Hello, Malik." She said, with an exaggeration on his name. Then she walked past him and put on a much more pleasant face as she greeted Anzu.

   "It's so nice to see you after all these years." Shizuka said, "And your dress is so beautiful! Where did you get it?"

   "Well, Malik got it for me." She replied, walking over to him and grabbing his hand, which made both Jou and Shizuka glare at him.

Malik's face grew hot, 'uh oh.'

   "Oh? That's nice." She too had the same sound of jealously that Vanessa had.

   "C'mon, lets go upstairs and catch up. The boy's will be fine on their own." Anzu grabbed Shizuka's hand and together they ran upstairs, leaving Malik and the other two boys standing uncomfortably silent in the den, until Honda spoke up.       

   "So, how did you meet Anzu?" He asked curiously as he sat back down on the chair.

   At this, Jou's eyebrows raised a little. "You guys aren't a thing are you?" He asked warningly.

   "Jou, just shut your face for a while, huh?" Honda interrupted seeing the worried look on Malik's face.

   "Anyway Malik, how did you meet her?"

Malik didn't know if he wanted to answer that question. First he would have to say that it was because the Pharaoh carved up his back. Then they would ask why, then he would have to say why that happened. And telling two Egyptian citizens that you kissed the Pharaoh's girl doesn't go over too well.

   "Honestly?" Malik asked.

   "Well, yea. It cant be that bad can it?" Jou said, crossing his arms.

   "Fine, but I'm not going into details."

   "But-"

  This time Honda didn't have to shut Jou up. The look that Malik gave him was enough. Even though Malik was an all around funny guy, he was still threatening. Jou might have spent all his life working in the fields, but his muscular build up didn't even compare to Malik's.

   "She actually saved my life." He said quietly. "I was down in the dungeon, left to die, but she brought me to her room…"

At that Jou choked on his drink, and Honda slapped him on the back of the head.

   Seeing that Honda had shut him up, Malik continued. "She healed my back almost instantly. It still hurts now and then, but she learned everything from her grandma. I was in good hands." He turned around and lifted up the back of his robes, as gasps emitted from the two boy's lips.

   "Ouch." Jou said, although he did have a slight up tone in his voice which made Malik grit his teeth. 

   "You know Bener?" Honda asked.

   "Yea, she's the palace nanny, why?" He asked curiously.

   "When Anzu still lived here, she would talk about her grandma all the time, but we never got to meet her. Then when Yugi died…" Honda stopped at the look on Malik's face.

   "Who's Yugi?"

   "You don't? Anzu didn't tell…" Honda looked bewildered. He then looked at Jou, who looked like he was about to cry.

   "Please excuse me." Honda pardoned himself before going upstairs.

   Jou continued to stare at his beer flagon with an empty look on his face.

   "Can I tell you something?" He asked Malik quietly.

Malik, who had no idea what was going on, or who Yugi was, merely nodded.

   "If you ever harm one hair on Anzu's head, I'll hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands. She's like a second sister to me, and I protect Shizuka with my life."

    This only made Malik squirm. If Jounouchi ever found out…not that Malik couldn't take him, it was just that, he really didn't feel like being on Jounouchi's bad side. Although, something told him that he already was.

   "No harm will ever befall her, I promise. I know you don't want to hear this, but I care about her, more then you or Honda, or even she knows." He took one last sip, put his cup down and made his way upstairs. It was really late and they had to get back to the palace soon.

   Making his way to the closed door at the end of the hall, he heard voices. It was Anzu and Honda. As much as he didn't was to eavesdrop, he couldn't help it. 

   "…Yea but he never will be." Honda said quietly.

   "Honda I know, but I care about him too. I can't erase what's happened in my past…or his for that matter, but that doesn't matter. We have to live from today!" She cried.

   "You're trying to replace him Anzu. And you know that no one will ever be Yugi. No one, not even Malik." He said sternly to her. "Anzu, he loved you and you loved him, we all loved him, and no one can change that or take that away."

   Malik felt his heart sinking. Anzu didn't care about him; she was just trying to replace someone that she had loved long ago. He didn't know if he could listen on any further, but he was glued to the spot where he stood, unable to tear his attention away from what was taking place on the other side of that door.

   "Does he know about Yugi?"

No answer. But Malik could hear Anzu's sobs from where he stood. His heart ached for her; he wanted to take away all the pain that she was feeling.

   "Anzu answer me!"

   " No," She paused to take in a breath, " And I don't want him too. I don't care what you or Jou, or Shizuka say, I care about Malik, more then I would admit to him, and he doesn't need to know about Yugi!" 

   Malik saw the handle turn, and before he could run away he found himself face to face with a tear stricken Anzu.

   He didn't know what to say, but when she ran to him and flung her arms around him, burring her face in his chest, he realized that he didn't have to say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in closer as Honda walked out of the room and went back downstairs.

   "Shh, it's ok. I understand why you didn't want to tell me. But lets promise each other something ok?" He lifted her chin up and wiped away some of the tears with his thumbs, as he smiled at her.

   She nodded her head as she gave him a weak smile.

   "No more secrets, from either of us, ok?"

   Again she shook her head, not really able to find her voice. She couldn't believe that Malik had heard her conversation with Honda and wasn't mad at her. If she had found out that he loved someone else, even though she didn't really love Yugi that much anymore, she would have been heartbroken.

   "Let's go home." He whispered to her, but then something popped up in his mind. If he promised not to keep any secrets from her then he would have to tell her about Shizuka. He decided it would be best to tell her when they were way out of earshot from Jounouchi.

   Together they went downstairs and said their good-byes, after which they left the small house and walked back down the alleyway to the camel, which, to Malik's relief was still where he had left it. 

   When they were well into their journey home he told her about Shizuka, and to his surprise Anzu could do nothing but laugh.

   "What's so funny?" He asked, sounding shocked.

   "I knew this already." She said with tears of laughter in her eyes at the look of horror on Malik's face as he turned around and looked up at her from the ground.

   "Wha?!?" 

   "You think for one minute that she would sleep with someone as hot as you and keep it to herself? Malik, she told every girl that would listen to her!" Anzu almost fell off the camel because she was laughing so hard.

   Now it was Malik's turn to blush, and even though Anzu couldn't see it, she knew he was as red as a radish.

   "Malik what am I going to do with you?"  She asked jokingly as she tried her best to calm down.

   "I dunno…but I got a few ideas…" He said quietly so that she wouldn't hear, but it wasn't quiet enough.

   "Malik!" She said, almost warningly.

   "What?!?" 

   He turned around and bit his lip so that he wouldn't laugh as Anzu stared down at him. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I have to say...that was a very fun chapter to write. I like to write anything with a lot of Malik in it, and incase you hadn't noticed, he's my favorite Bishi of all time!! That's why I used every chance I got to describe him in detail...He's so damn fine!

Ok, I hope you enjoyed this one because it'll be a while before I update this story because I'm not quite sure where I want to go with this. I have a couple of ideas, one of which would end it very soon, one that would require a sequel (possibly) and one that will have this story turning into a freggin epoch. Any options are fine, but I've been working on this story for about a year now.

Just let me know what you want and I'll do it (because I know this story is getting to damn long to begin with!)

Arigato Gozaimasu!  


	12. Playing With Lives

  Heh...long time no see...or as Malik would say "hisashiburi ne, nesan?" (Yea..it coumes in later eps. Where *tee hee* Malik takes off his robe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, seeing as it's been forever since you all have gotten to read a new one. And as a warning...don't yell at me! There's a lemon in here that'll knock your socks off (and to this day I am still wondering why I wrote it)..oh well, what's done is done...Enjoy.                                

                                             ~*Playing With Lives*~                                        

      When the two arrived back at the palace gates it took everything in them to keep quiet while passing the guards so as to avoid any confrontations. They sneaked silently past Yami's room because truthfully, they knew that he wouldn't be too pleased with them staying out until the wee hours of the morning. But it didn't matter. Yami had been waiting for hours for them, well, Malik, to return.

   "Malik! Where on Earth have you been?" Yami's voice sounded from behind them. Both Anzu and Malik nearly jumped out of their skins. Anzu felt the skin on the back of her neck tingle. If Yami knew they were gone then surely her grandmother…she didn't even want to think about how much trouble she'd be in when Bener found her.

   Together they turned around slowly to face the wrath of Yami, and they were sure that he wouldn't be merciful.

   "You may leave." He spoke to Anzu as he walked closer to them.

  "I'll go to your room." She mouthed to Malik and with a quick glance at him, he nodded to her signifying that he could handle it, she grabbed the bags from his hands and walked extremely quickly back to his room.

   When Anzu was gone Malik turned his attention back to Yami, who didn't look angry at all, but almost…nervous. In fact, as Malik watched him, it was the same look that Yami had when he came to ask him for help about asking Athena to the temple ceremony.

   "Where were you all night?!?" Yami asked with tension in his voice.

   "I was…well we…erm…" Malik glanced sideways as he bit his lip.

   "Uh huh." Yami said with a smirk. "Well, anyway. Malik I need your help…again."

   Malik couldn't help but put on that superior 'you know you cant live without me look' as he followed Yami down the hallway and into the throne room.

   Once the doors were closed behind them, Malik spoke up.

   "Soo…what is it this time?" He asked with a slight grin. He loved it when Yami was like a helpless puppy dog. "Do you want to know the best way to kiss her? Or do you want to ask her out on a date?" 

   Yami felt his face growing hot and had to resist the urge to hit Malik upside the head.

   "Be quiet. I still have that dagger in my room." Yami said menacingly.

   Malik shot him a reproachful look. For some reason, Yami's threats seemed to take on a whole new meaning from this side of the back-carving incident.

   "S-sorry. You were saying." Malik said quietly.

   "I need your advice." Yami paused as he looked down at his feet, he was going to have a hard time saying this so he decided that it would be best if he got it over with as quick as possible. "I want to ask Athena to marry me."

He whispered so fast that it took a second for it to register in Malik's brain.

   "Oh that's all… YOU WHAT!?!?" He shouted so loudly that his voice echoed throughout the cavernous throne room, and Yami had to place his hand over Malik's mouth.

   "Shh! Shut up! Do you want the whole world to know?" He snapped, glaring into Malik's eyes, which by this point had tears of laughter in them.

   "What's so funny?" He added, removing his hand.

   "Well, it's just that…you…I…Yami, you've come to the wrong guy! I mean, I can get you hooked up and all, but marriage? It's just not my thing. C'mon! You're talking to someone who hasn't spent more then one night with any girl!" 

   "What about Anzu?" Yami asked, crossing his arms with a smile on his face.

   "Oh, yea…well that's different." Malik said, flushing slightly.

   "Uh huh." Yami walked away and looked out the balcony. "Well, if you can't give me advice, just give me some reassurance. Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

   "Oh hell yea!" He said, loud enough to make Yami turn his head and shoot him a warning look.

   "I mean…yea." He repeated sheepishly. "Speaking of Athena though, how is she?"

   "Much better," Yami paused, "But it was this whole incident that made me realize how precious she is to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And nothing like this will ever happen again. Who ever did it is going to pay severely."

   At those words, Malik's stomach did a back flip. His day out with Anzu had almost made him forget about the evil spirit. He hadn't heard from him in a while though, and Malik tried to convince himself that the spirit was long gone.

   "What's wrong?" Yami asked, seeing all the color drain from Malik's face.

   "Huh?" He muttered halfheartedly, looking back up at Yami.

   "I asked you what was wrong."

   "Oh…oh, nothing's wrong, why would there be?" He said, trying to put on a much more pleasant face.

   "I dunno, I guess I'm just nervous…but, you really think I should ask her?"

    "Definitely." 

   "Ok, thanks for your help. That's all." Yami walked over to the door and held it open until Malik walked out and vanished around the corner.  

                                              * * *

   "So, how much trouble are you in?" Anzu asked as Malik stepped into his room. But she gave him a curious look when she saw the expression on his face. It looked as though Yami had just given him a thousand debin instead of scolding him. "Did I miss something?"

   "Um, I think you should sit down for this one."

Anzu did as she was told, still with a bewildered look on her face. Malik came and sat down next to her, still smiling.

   "Yami had the most interesting news tonight. He wants to ask Athena to marry him." After those words Malik nearly fell of the bed as Anzu jumped up, putting her hands over her mouth.

   "Oh my! Oh jeez…uh…wow." Anzu started pacing around her room, while Malik followed her with his eyes.

   "Well that's wonderful!" She suddenly shouted. "Oh, I'm so happy for Athena."

   Anzu tried her best to calm down as she sat back down on the bed next to him, still breathing rather heavily.

   "I never thought Yami had it in him." Malik said, to her as well as himself, almost unable to believe the events that had unfolded in the past hour.

   "I think it's soo romantic." Anzu sighed with a smile.

Malik was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Is this what Anzu wanted? Did she want a husband? If so, he wasn't sure that he would ever be ready for that. So he decided to change the subject. Rummaging through the shopping bags that were by the bed, he pulled out the skimpy little dancer's outfit that they bought earlier that day.

   "You never told me why on Earth you picked out something like this." He said, holding it up. Not that he minded though. He would have loved to see Anzu try it on, because he was positive that she would look absolutely perfect in it.

   "Oh, that…uh. Promise you won't laugh?" She asked, becoming more serious.

   Malik nodded his head.

   "Well, I've always wanted to…be a dancer." She looked at him, expecting him to be rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter. But he wasn't. "I know it sounds silly," She continued, "But ever since I came to the palace in my free time I would watch them practice. They are so beautiful and graceful, and I can imagine that their job gets a lot more respect then that of a servant."

   "I don't find that funny at all. Why don't you try this on and show me what you can do?" He held up the outfit, and she, with a bit of hesitation, grabbed it from him and walked into a corner, making him swear that he wouldn't peek.

   It took all of the willpower he had to stop himself from turning around. But when she was dressed, she cleared her throat, and Malik turned around, only to have his heart jump from his chest into his adams apple. She had the most amazing body he had ever seen. He wondered why she would always try and cover it up.

   "Um…wow." He managed to say, before she approached him, causing his mouth to go as dry as the Sahara.

   "I feel so stupid." She muttered, as her face turned a shade of pink. She felt as though Malik was looking at all of her flaws. She felt as though her legs were too long and that she was too skinny. But how wrong she was.

   "You…are absolutely perfect."

She couldn't help but smile as Malik grabbed her small waist and pulled her into him. Malik was sitting on the edge of the bed, with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, which was bare due to the fact that the dancer's outfit didn't cover much.

   "I thought…you wanted me to show you…what I could do." She gasped as Malik began to kiss her neck softly. It felt so good, his warm tongue gently licking up the side of her neck until he made his way to her jawbone biting down tenderly. It caused her to moan softly, gripping her hands tighter around Malik's arms.

   Pulling away, he smiled at her. "That can wait." 

And before she knew what had happened Malik had pulled her down on top of him as he fell back onto his bed.

   Her heart was pounding a mile a minute as their bodies pressed tightly together. She even swore that at one point when he smiled it was because he could feel her heart beating furiously against his chest. Malik rested his head on the soft pillows as Anzu situated herself, putting one leg on either side of him. Anzu still felt a bit unusual sitting, well laying on top of a sex god, when she herself was so unversed in the ways of sexual pleasures.

   Little did she know that Malik was almost as nervous as she, because he wanted her to feel comfortable, he didn't want her to feel pressured into it.

   He could see and feel her small body shaking, so he wrapped his arms securely around her and brought her into him, where their lips met. He kissed her softly at first, but there was no way that he could hold out any longer. He slid his tongue across her lips and without hesitation, she parted them.

   They kissed passionately for the longest time, only breaking away to breath. Feeling too scared to continue, Anzu pulled away, and sat up, moving to the other end of his enormous bed. She needed to control herself, before things got out of hand.

   Malik didn't say anything. He understood her fear and didn't want to press her on. Instead he sat there, quietly looking at her.

   What was she thinking? How could she let something this amazing slip through her fingers? Taking in a deep breath, she made up her mind that she was just going to let whatever will happen, happen.  

   Anzu's heart jolted as Malik looked over at her from his position on the bed. He…was…so amazingly gorgeous. Malik was shocked when he saw her leisurely crawling her way over to him.

Taking control, she placed her hand on his chest and slowly pushed him down until he was lying on his back. He all but whined as she climbed on top of him again and raised his hands over his head, secularly pinning them down.

   "You're mine." She whispered softly as she bit down on the tender part of his neck. Malik winced at the pain and then moaned softly while she sucked gently on the tender flesh, dulling the pain.

   She let go of his arms and brought her hands down to the bottom of his shirt. Grabbing hold of it, she gradually began to lift it off of his tanned torso. He groaned because he could feel her deliberately grinding herself up against him.

   Once she had succeeded in freeing Malik of his top he wined as he felt her cool wet mouth press against the heated skin of his chest. Malik shut his eyes as he basked in each heavenly elation. The kisses, her warm body up against his, it was all becoming too much.  He decided that it was time for him to take control. There was no way on earth that something this delectable, this perfect, was going to elude him any longer.

   Sitting up slightly he grabbed her around the waist and rolled over so that he was on top.

   Anzu smiled coyly at him as her hands sought out his face and brought him down to meet her lips in a heated kiss. Their bodies rubbed together, sending chills through each of them. Anzu's body shivered, causing Malik to smile seductively as his moved his hands down onto her legs. Placing one arm behind her, Malik sat up, pulling her up with him.

   "I want more." His words echoed in her mind, and more is what he got.

   Again she ground herself into him, making him fall back slightly, until his weight rested on his hands and he was leaning back. He couldn't take it any longer. If this beautiful woman remained clothed a minute longer, he felt as if he would go crazy.

   So as she made the assault on his lips again, Malik pulled her up until they were both kneeling on the bed. Ever so  slowly he moved his hands up to the little dancer's top that she was wearing. It was amazingly easy to remove considering how tight it was.

   Anzu felt extremely uncomfortable under the piercing gaze of the other. She felt as if all her flaws were on display.

   Malik merely gazed at her, unable to tear his eyes away from the goddess that was on his bed. If he wanted her before, it was nothing compared to the feeling that he had now. Every instinct in his body was urging him to take her, like he had with every other girl. 'Go ahead,' His body screamed. 'She's here, she will submit to you like all the others.' He tried to block out that taunting voice, because he didn't want this to be anything like the others.

   'What are you waiting for you fool? Take her! Claim her!' It screamed, but this time he had little trouble blocking it out, because Anzu pushed herself into him, her breasts pressed firmly into his chest. He had to take in a deep breath as he lowered her back down on the bed. He couldn't believe that he was at this place with Anzu. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine her wanting to go this far with him, after all that he had done. And he was angry with himself for even letting that voice tempt him to claim her like it did with all the others. There was, however, something different this time. His feelings for her got in the way, and clouded the voice, giving it less power over him.

   He was pulled back into reality when he felt two hands at his waist, undoing his sash. Did she really want to go that far? Or did she feel like she had to? Malik wasn't sure, but whatever she wanted, he most assuredly wasn't going to stop her. He allowed her to untie his sash and remove his garments, while he brought his lips to hers again.

   "Malik…" She groaned when he started to kiss his way down her neck and onto her collarbone. She was amazed at how skilled and perfect he was. Malik was bringing her so much pleasure that she could hardly believe it.

   He couldn't wait a minute longer; he slid his hands along her waist until he reached the little skirt that she was wearing. Anzu, thinking that he was going to remove it raised herself up a little, to make it easier for him. But that wasn't what he had in mind, she wasn't ready yet, he knew that she was a virgin, it was pretty obvious, and he didn't want to bring her pain. Malik continued on his path down. Reaching her inner thigh he slid his hand back up and under the skirt.

    He felt her take in a deep breath, as he slid his fingers gently into her.

Anzu tightened her hold around his neck; she had never experienced this sensation before. It was slightly uncomfortable at first, but as he moved his fingers in and out, it caused her to moan softly.

   Malik now knew she was a virgin. She was extremely tight, and he was glad that he didn't decide to listen to that taunting voice that told him to claim her. Because if he did, he had a strong feeling that she wouldn't be able to walk for a while.

   She tilted her head back slightly, taking in a deep gulp of air before Malik once again brought his lips to hers, subduing them in a powerful kiss. Just when she was really starting to enjoy the wonderful sensation, Malik pulled his fingers out, convinced that she would be able to handle him now, somewhat.

   He removed the skirt and let it fall to the floor, bringing his hands back to her waist he held her tightly before, as gently as he could, he pushed into her.

   "Malik!" She whined, letting go of his arms and gripping the sheets on his bed tightly. She had no idea that it would hurt so badly. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried her best to breathe normally, but nothing could take her mind off the immense pain.

   Malik used small steady movements as he removed one of his hands from her waist and placed it behind her back, pulling her in closer. He wanted her to be in the least amount of pain as possible, but there wasn't much else he could do. Once again, he brought his mouth down to her neck, sucking lightly on the flesh there. She couldn't help but groan a little, and Malik took the opportunity to push himself in even deeper.

   "I-it hurts…" She cried into his ear.

   "It won't for long." He reassured her.

But at thins point, Anzu couldn't imagine anything that felt this bad, ever feeling good. She just had to trust him. 

Malik ran his fingers through her brown hair, bringing his lips to hers he kissed them passionately, but Anzu was only half into the kiss. She was too preoccupied with the pain.

   Pulling away from the kiss, he gazed into her eyes, which were wet with tears and glazed over. She managed to give him a little smile, before he thrust himself in even deeper, only to have Anzu crying out from under him.

   It bothered him, yet at the same time, gave him pleasure. When she screamed his name, it only made him want to push in deeper and to move faster, causing her to scream his name out even louder. At the same time, he wanted to do all that he could to comfort her, and to reassure her that the pain would all be gone soon.

   He couldn't believe the beauty of the girl who was screaming out from under him. Her skin was so soft, and she felt so good. He…had to go deeper. So that's what he did, but this time, Anzu didn't cry out with a moan of pain, but of pleasure.

   Anzu took deep, unsteady breaths as her hands roamed around Malik's back. He had hit that spot. It was that spot that made her melt like butter in his hands. She was totally at his mercy now. He had brought her this far, and she felt as if she would cry if he stopped. She couldn't believe that all the pain she had experienced had turned into something that felt so good.

   Malik smiled a little when he noticed the look on Anzu's face. He brought his head down and whispered in her ear.

   "I told you." He nipped the delicate lobe before he pulled away, moving back to her lips. This time, Anzu gave him her all, kissing him forcefully, and to Malik's surprise, she wrapped her legs around his waist, which forced him in even deeper, and caused him to groan slightly. He had never experienced anything like this before. Malik could have never imagined the pleasures of sex when it was with somebody who was important to you. When you weren't in it just for your own guilty pleasures, but also to satisfy the other person as if it was the most important thing in the world. Right now, the only thing he could think about, the only thing that was running through his mind was making sure that Anzu was comfortable, and having the time of her life.     

   The two were so engulfed in passion that sunrise came and went before they were so exhausted that they simply fell onto the bed, breathing heavily, but so completely satisfied. They cuddled up close before falling asleep contently, wrapped up in each other's arms. 

                                                  * * *

   It was sometime in the afternoon when Malik finally opened his eyes, and to his great surprise Anzu was still nestled securely in his arms. This was most definitely a first for him, but it was a feeling that he could get used to. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her sleeping peacefully. Words couldn't express the feelings he had for her. However, he wasn't quite sure what they were, because he had never had them before.

   "You're awake early." She whispered, turning around to him and smiling lightly. There was an immense pain shooting through her legs and back, and it caused her to cringe slightly.

   "What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the look on her face.

   "I think you wore me out last night." She said.

   "Aah…yes, well…I…can be a bit rough."

   She merely chuckled as she inwardly agreed with him. Looking over to her nightstand she saw her little candle and the gold bracelet that was given to her by her father, but her breath caught in her throat when she realized what was missing. 'Oh my Gods! The necklace!'

   Shooting up from the bed and quickly putting on a white wool dress she got down on her hands and knees, franticly looking for it, while at the same time, receiving weird glances from Malik.

   "What are you doing?"

   "Nothing! Nothing…" She replied too quickly. 'Shit…if he finds out what will he think? I can't believe I lost it already!'

   "Did you lose something?" 

   "No! I'm just…I u-uh…" 'Dammit!'

   "You can be strange sometimes, you know that?" He commented softly as he donned his clothing. "If you are looking for something…I can help you."

   "No! No that's alright…I…well I didn't lose anything ok!" She snapped.

   "Ok, ok." He waved his hands defensively. "I'm just gunna go get some breakfast, I'll see you down there?"

   "Uh huh…sure." She said absentmindedly as she crawled under the bed.

Malik sighed and walked out of the room.

On his way down to the kitchens to find Bener…he had that strange feeling again.

   She lost something, eh? Came the haunting voice.

Malik was so taken aback that he stopped in his tracks. It had been so long since he heard the voice he figured that whoever it was, was long gone.

   Sorry Malik, I'm afraid I'm still here.

   "What the hell do you want?" He asked through gritted teeth.

   I know what she lost…and I know where it is. He sniggered. But I'm afraid I can't tell you…you'll just have to wait and see.

   Malik continued walking, trying to ignore the voice. He knew whatever he had planned this time couldn't be good…Malik couldn't hold out any longer, he had to tell Yami, when the time was right.

   Fine. I can see you're not in a talking mood. That's ok. I'll be back soon enough.

   After the evil one left, Malik had suddenly lost his appetite. In fact, he felt so light headed that he thought he would fall if he didn't find something to lean against. So he pressed his back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was screwed. What was he going to do? He couldn't go on any longer without telling someone. But he couldn't tell Yami, that would just ruin his day. Yami had other things on his mind, what with asking Athena to marry him and all. No, Malik couldn't tell him…not yet anyway. But who…then it hit him. He could tell Anzu. She'd believe him…he hoped.

Running back to his chambers he flung the doors open and burst in only to find Anzu sitting on his bed in tears.

   "Anzu, what's wrong?" He asked gently as he walked over to her and sat down on the bed.

   "I lost it…I'm so sorry…I…I can't believe I'm so stupid!" She said, more to herself than him.

   "Anzu…you have to tell me what you lost…it's important." He said, trying to be as comforting as possible. But he really needed to know what the spirit was talking about.

   "You spent all that money on me and I lost it." She kept on talking as he asked his question. But when he was finished she glanced up at him, torrents of tears coming from her azure eyes. "The necklace." She whispered hoarsely.

   Malik widened his eyes a little. He wasn't upset with her that she lost it.  But he did wonder why the spirit seemed so happy about it. However, Anzu didn't take his reaction well.

   "Oh Gods! Malik I'm sorry!" She said overdramatically as she flung her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, still crying hard.

   "Shh…don't worry about it." He said halfheartedly, as he stroked her hair. He was still thinking about what the spirit had to do with the necklace. "But Anzu…I have to tell you something."

   She pulled slowly away from him and wiped some of her tears away as she looked at him. He looked extremely worried about something.

   "I…don't know how to say this…but promise me that you'll believe me."

She silently inclined her head.

   "That night…in your room when you went out to get some medicine. Remember when you came back in? You asked me if I yelled. Well, I did." He paused for a moment, not knowing if this was the right thing to do. But it was too late now; he wasn't about to stop. "Anzu, I don't know if I'm going crazy or what…but there was someone there that night. And…and he was the one who…raped Athena."

   Anzu's mouth opened slightly as she gasped. She was unable to say anything. All she could do was stare at Malik in disbelief.

   "I know this sounds crazy but-"

   "Malik you have to tell Yami! This man can't walk around free, what if…what if he decides to do it again?" She said, sounding worried. 

   "No. We can't tell him. Anzu…the thing is…well, even if we tell Yami, there's nothing he can do about it."

   "And just why not? He's the Pharaoh…whoever did it will be dead in a heartbeat, you can count on that." She said assuredly.

   "Not if he's not alive in the first place." He said morosely.

Anzu gave him and awkward look that showed she didn't understand.

   "Please don't think I'm crazy. A-and whatever you do you can't tell Yami…but this guy…this, this spirit, or whatever his is-" 

   "Whoa, whoa, hold up. Spirit? Malik what the-"

   "Just hear me out. Now, I don't know how he came here or why he's doing all this…but he's sick and demented…he wants everybody dead."

Anzu looked as if she could burst into tears again. It was almost too absurd to be believable, but Malik was being so serious…

   "Malik…" She started, but he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He felt her heart pounding against his chest.

   "Don't worry…there's nothing he can do to you…I wont let him."

   That's what you think…heh heh heh.

   "Oh Gods!" Malik yelled suddenly, pulling away from Anzu.

   "What is it?!" She asked urgently.

   "N-nothing." He said shakily. 'Ra, don't let this happen. Go away…please go away.'

   Are you begging me Malik?

   'Yes…I'll do whatever you want…just please don't touch her.'

   Anything?

   'Yes, yes…'

   Tell Yami about me.

   "Malik?" Anzu said as she shook him slightly.

   "Huh?" 

   "What's wrong? You just spaced out for a minute there." She said, sounding concerned.

   "I…uh…I…" Malik looked down at the floor. "I have to tell Yami."

   "But you said-"

   "I know what I said!" He snapped at her.

   She narrowed her eyes as she stood up from the bed. "You know what…I think you're a load of shit!"

   "Anzu..." He started as he grabbed her arm, but she ripped it free and backed away from him. "What are you trying to gain by making all this up? Who are you to joke about what happened to Athena?"

   "Anzu wait." He reached for her again but she only walked further away from him. "I'm telling the truth."

   "How can I be sure? I know how you are!" 

  He reached out for her again.

  "No…don't touch me." She hissed before she walked out of the room.

   "Dammit!" He yelled, slamming his fist on the nightstand.

   She's a feisty one.

   "Shut the fuck up." Malik growled.

   Oooh…do I sense some hostility this morning? The evil spirit joked. Are you going to tell Yami about me? Or do you prefer that I-

   "Don't you even think about it!" Malik growled.

   Oh, I already have…I've watched her a lot…she's quite beautiful…but if you do me a favor…I'll leave her alone.

   "I don't trust you…how do I know you won't go ahead and do it anyway, even if I tell Yami?" Malik asked skeptically. "Why do you want me to tell Yami about you anyway?"

   Don't worry about it. Just do as I say and you'll all be safe…for the time being that is.

   "I'll think about it."

   You've got one week.

   "But-"

   See ya, Malik.

   "Dammit!" Malik could see that this was going nowhere fast. He was very cautious about telling Yami. Evidently something bad would come out of it; otherwise the spirit wouldn't be so enthused about it.

   He had one week to think about it…and in that time there was nobody that he could talk to. Anzu was now pissed at him…Yami was the one he had to tell, and well, he didn't really want to talk to Athena just yet, and she probably wouldn't want to talk to him either.

                                                 * * *

   "Come in." Yami said when someone knocked on his chamber doors.

Sheepishly Anzu popped her head in and looked around the room.

   "F-forgive me Pharaoh…I was just wondering if I could speak to Athena?"

   "She's not here." He said, sounding unusually happy. "She's in the gardens."

   "Oh? You mean she's finally better?" Anzu couldn't help but smile at him after hearing that good news. It completely took her mind off what Malik had said.

   "Not fully, but she was tired of being cooped up in this room, and I don't blame her. I think a visit from you will just make her day." He smiled at Anzu.

   "T-thank you Pharaoh." Anzu bowed her head and closed the door. Once she was well out of Yami's hallway she started running at full speed to get to the gardens. 

   Athena sat alone on the grass soaking up the midday sun. There wasn't a feeling like it in the world. It had felt like an eternity since she'd been able to go outside, and even today, Yami was reluctant, but after much begging and pleading he had finally given in to her, like he always did.

   "How have you been?"

Athena turned her head around at the sound of her best friend's voice and smiled. Anzu stood there, with a small grin on her face, but she couldn't control herself much longer. After a moment of silence she threw herself to the ground and wrapped her arms around the dark haired girl.

   "I've missed you." She whispered.

   "Same here." Athena replied as her eyes started to water. She was so happy that things were starting to go back to normal. Here she was, in the palace garden with Anzu, the way it had been day after day for months. This was how she liked it. The calm serene Egyptian days, when all there was to do was sit and talk, or goof off, with not a care in the world.

   But it would never be that way again. No matter how "back to normal" things would seem, everybody else would go back to their lives, and she was stuck with the image of those icy grey eyes that she could never forget. He would never let her forget how painful it was, or how much he beat and tormented her. He would never give her a peaceful night's sleep. He was dragging her under; to the point where she didn't know who she was anymore. Just a pawn, a little piece for him to use in his horrible plan...what exactly that plan was she didn't know, but she couldn't warn Yami, because she feared what would happen if she did...

   Sighing, she turned away from Anzu and forced her attention on something else. Anzu was beginning to look at her strangely. Then again; Anzu would probably never be able to look at her normally again...

   "Athena, what's wrong?" Anzu asked, placing an arm around her.

   What could she say? There was no way that she could explain it and have Anzu, or anyone understand. They weren't there; they didn't know how evil this man really was. And most certainly none of them would believe that he could still speak to her in her dreams. He wouldn't leave her alone. Every time she slept he would come and haunt her. He would keep telling her that he wasn't done with her yet. It was to the point where she was afraid to close her eyes at night. How could she get anyone to understand her? But when she saw the look on Anzu's face, she knew she had to say something.

   "I can't stop thinking about it." She said in an undertone. She couldn't say anything more.

   Anzu gazed at her best friend. She thought about what Malik told her earlier. But she didn't think it was necessary to tell Athena that cock-and-bull story. So she just did her best to try and comfort her.

   "We just need to do something to take your mind off of it then!" She tried her best to sound cheery, but it came out kind of weak. 'Gods Yami, when are you going to pop the question?' She thought desperately. That would surely take Athena's mind off of it.

   "Thanks Anzu, I don't know what I'd do without you." Athena gave her a weak smile. She appreciated Anzu's efforts, even though they weren't working too well. But she didn't feel like being around her, she didn't feel like being around anyone. Her mind just wasn't focused. She had too many horrible thoughts about that night circling around in her mind.

   Anzu could tell that it would be best if Athena were left alone. Evidently Yami was wrong. Athena wasn't happy to see her...she wasn't happy at all.

   "Athena...I'm, going to go now." She stood up and started towards the exit. "If you need to talk, you know where to find me."

Athena didn't turn around and watch her friend leave. She didn't even pay attention to what Anzu was saying, because suddenly she felt a cold wave sweep over her body. It could only be one thing.

   "No! Leave me alone!" She yelled aloud as she tried to stand up. But something was wrong. She couldn't move, she couldn't feel her body, nothing except the coldness, that is.

   It felt like that night all over again. She was cold and she couldn't move. Athena could almost feel the chains on her ankles and wrists again.

   "No..." She knew it was him. But she was alone in the garden; there was nobody there to hear her scream.

   Calm down my dear. I'm only here to make sure you've got it.

   "I do! I do! Now please go away!" She cried.

   I'll do as I please. You're mine, not vise a versa .

   "I'm not yours!" She protested, still struggling to stand, but it was to no avail.

   Oh, but I'm afraid you are. Don't worry, you'll see in due time.

   "Please, please don't hurt me...just let me be...I beg you...please." She whispered hoarsely as tears started streaming down her face.

   Stop this; you're driving me crazy with all of this begging! You know how I simply can't resist it. But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you...I need you still. He chuckled slightly. That's all for now. Good bye, Athena.

   She lay there in silence for a while, listening closely to make sure that he had really gone. Within moments she could feel her legs again. With effort she stood up and bounded out of the garden. But had she been paying attention she would have noticed a very frightened Bener, standing in the shadows, completely caught off guard by what she had just overheard...

                                         * * *

   Bener's hands were shaking slightly as she tried her best to go on with her day. The water that was in the blue lapis lazuli vase kept on splashing out over the top with every violent shake that racked her aging form. She mumbled little prayers and ancient incantations as she walked down the main palace corridor, with a little trail of water following behind her.

   'That was other worldly; some fiend form the netherworld must have possessed her.' Seeing Athena in the garden earlier that day, screaming and struggling, and talking to thin air had really shaken the elderly woman to the point where she had half the mind to call the palace mage and have him perform an exorcism on the girl. Then again, she didn't know how well that would bode with the Pharaoh. To tell him that his girlfriend was possessed by a demon...well, you might as well go stick your head in the mouth of a crock and tell him to enjoy...

   No, no she didn't want to get on Yami's bad side, not after all that had happened. He had enough on his plate anyway. He was already worried enough about Athena as it were.

   Maybe that was it...maybe Athena was still disturbed after what happened. After all, it must have been horrible. Yes, yes, that had to be it...she was just having a flashback or something of that nature...nothing to be really worried about, it would all go away in due time.

   "Grand ma!"

   "Oh Ra!" Bener screamed as the vase of water went flying out of her hands and careening to the floor, landing with a loud crash as what was left of the water went all over the place.

   She placed a hand over her racing heart and leaned against the wall, taking in deep breaths as Anzu walked up to her, looking quite worried.

   "Good heavens child, don't scare your old grand ma like that..." She huffed, "I don't think this heart can take it anymore."

   "I-I'm sorry...are-are you ok?" Anzu asked as she bent down to pick up the broken glass.

   Bener sighed before she gave a hefty nod. "You just caught me off guard...that's all."

   "Sorry." Anzu stood up and handed her the blue fragments. "I just wanted to ask you if you had seen Athena. Last I saw her she was in the garden, I just went back to see if she wanted to play senat and she wasn't there."

   "No...no I haven't seen her all day." She lied as she started walking away. "Besides, I think you should leave her alone for a while...you know, so that she can have time to recuperate." With that, the old woman rounded the corner and as soon as she was out of sight, she walked as fast as her legs would carry her back to her room.  

                                                             * * *

   Athena had found an empty room to go into after she had left the garden. She needed a quiet place to really think. To think about her life...and if she should end it herself. It was too much for her to take, and she felt as if the only way that she could get away from him was by death. Maybe then, when she closed her eyes for the final time, then he wouldn't come to her. He wouldn't be where she was going. He was a demon, trapped in the underworld, hopefully her heart would be lighter than the feather of Ma'at and she could go and join those others who were pure in the Field of Reeds.

   She reached into her robes and pulled out the dagger that she had taken from Yami's nightstand. The same blade that had pierced Malik's skin, the very blade that had caused him so much pain would bring her redemption. She stared at it and contemplated the outcome of her actions. It looked so welcoming, so tempting...all it would take was one swift slash across her neck, and this time around, she wouldn't make the same mistake that her tormenter did. She wouldn't mess up. It would work, it had to.

   But did she really want to do this? Did she want to make Yami and Anzu and Bener suffer because she was not strong enough to deal with her problems? Surly this wasn't the only option...

   However, the more she sat there and thought about it, the more she realized that this was her only option. Nothing she could say or do would get him to leave her alone. There was no one she could talk to because they wouldn't understand. There was no alternative. 

   So with a shaking hand she brought the blade up to her neck, where a healing scar was just visible from her last encounter with a knife. Pressing it firmly against her flesh she began the mental countdown.

   'O-one...' She tightened her grip around the dagger, 'Two...' Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes , 'Thr-'

   Oh come now, you can't be serious! The evil voice chuckled.

   "Holy Amun!" She screamed as the blade fell from her hand and landed with a clank on the floor. "Go away! Just leave me alone!"

   I'm not all that bad, am I Athena dear?

   "Yes, you are I'm sorry to say." She said grudgingly as she got off the bed and bent down to pick up the knife. Why couldn't she even kill herself without him there to taunt her?

    You're such a bitch you know that?

    She just rolled her eyes as she placed the blade right between her breasts. With him there or not, she wanted to end this torture as soon as possible. 

   Oh, don't do it there! He cried out. It's such a shame to ruin such perfect breasts!(1) He teased.

    "Don't tell me you've come here to say your good byes." She snapped cynically.

   Nope. I've come to save you.

   Athena lowered the blade slightly, with a look of utter bewilderment on her face. "You are insane."

   No, I'm just practical, unlike you. He paused and watched the expression on her face. He had her right where he wanted her. I don't want things that belong to me to get ruined until I've had enough of them.

   "For the last time, I'm not yours!"

   You don't really want to kill yourself. He stated. Think of your son...our son. He paused, and allowed his words to sink in, almost unable to wait for her reaction.

   "You just-" At that Athena felt her blood run cold as her heart fell all the way down to her feet. Her body followed suit, as the blade once again slipped out of her hand she fell to the floor. With her arms resting on the edge of the bed, she buried her head into the thick blankets and screamed. The sound was muffled slightly, but at this point she really didn't care who heard. Once his words registered in her mind she had no desire to remain alive whatsoever. She didn't want to bring into this world a byproduct of her pain and torture. She didn't want to give birth to the very evil that had destroyed her life. 

   This couldn't be happening to her. How could there be a child? Why? Had he planned on this all along? No...he had to have been lying...he just had to be. There was no way on this earth that she could bear his child. He was lying, he just wanted to mess with her mind like he always did...that's it, he was probably bored or something and so he decided to make up this shit just to get a reaction out of her.

   The evil spirit smiled satisfactorily. This was good. He was causing her more pain...but for his plans to go accordingly, she needed to be taught a lesson. One that she wasn't learning as well as he had hoped.

   Yes, I'm glad to be the one bringing you such joyous news, as always...but it's time to get down to business. I asked you earlier today if you had gotten what I had asked you to get, and you said yes, am I correct?

   Athena lifted up her tear stricken face and nodded slowly.

   Do you have it with you now?

Again she nodded, as she pulled out a golden object from under her robes.

   Good, now put it on.

   "Go to hell." She snapped nastily. 

   You're forgetting who you're talking to. I was born and raised there. Now...be a good girl and put it on before I have to get nasty.

   "I'd rather die first."

   Yes, you made that quite apparent, but see, I just can't let that happen.

It was silent for a moment and Athena raised her head up and pushed away from the bed. It wasn't like him to be this wordless for such a length of time.

   Suddenly, she felt a burning fire shoot through her body. It was as if molten lava was coursing through every vein, causing her to shake violently. Against her own will she felt her hand raise, followed by the rest of her arm as it reached for the little golden object that she had placed on the nightstand.

   "N-no!" She screamed, the heat and pain was stabbing her like a thousand knives. But still, she had no control over her body.

   You didn't listen to me the first time, and I'm afraid I have no patience for this kind of shit. He chuckled, knowing that she was in extreme pain. He could almost feel what she was feeling just by gazing at her face, and he loved every moment of it.

   Put it on. He commanded.

Without realizing what she was doing her hands lifted the object up and secured it tightly around her neck.

   As soon as it was on, she felt her arms drop to her sides and the pain instantly vanish. Not only did the pain vanish, but so did all feeling in her body. She could no longer feel pain, but she couldn't feel anything else either. Again she fell to the floor; heat was evaporating from her body as sweat poured down her skin. Faintly she could here his evil laugh before she totally blacked out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(1) If any of you have seen The Princess Bride, then you know what I'm talking about...Wesley is soo hot! And I love saying the name "Humperdink"...heh heh heh.

Sorry that it took over three months to update...but I'm lazy. Plus I've been working on the Evil One all the time, and I just got an idea for a new story which I'm posting along with this one today. Woo Hoo! Check it out it's my first "first person" fic. And of course, I'm assuming the role of none other than the great Egyptian himself Malik Ishtar! It's another humor fic, which means that it will take me forever to update because I have no sense of humor, but I like to think I do, therefore it takes me an obscene amount of time to try and come up with something funny for a chapter. You know what I'm talking about if you've ever read Bakura's Eviction Notice.

Ok bai bai!


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